Bursting at the Seams
by missnothingx
Summary: Sequel to 'Broken'. Lexi joins the trio to find the Horcruxes and destroy them and Voldemort. But along the way unexpected events happen to them with unexpected results.
1. Fallen Warrior

In the Dursley's kitchen stood : Hagrid, bending down so he wouldn't hit the ceiling, Hermione her brown hair bushier than ever, Ron leaning against the wall, Mad-Eye Moody who's blue magical eye whizzing around in his socket rapidly, Fred and George smiling, Bill horribly scarred from Greyback, Fleur slender and beautiful, Mr. Weasley kind-looking and his glasses lopsided, Tonks her hair her favourite shade of pink and short, Lupin greyer and more lined, Kingsley bald and broad-shouldered, and Lexi.

Harry's heart skipped two beats when he saw her standing at the end of this very long line of people next to Hermione. She was playing with her hands and looking at the ugly tiled floor in the Dursley's kitchen. Her blonde hair had grown a couple of inches since the last time he'd seen her. She had on heavy eye makeup and was wearing faded blue jeans, a white tank with a silver and black tie, a leather vest and worn out Chuck Taylors. She looked up and caught him staring, she smiled and waved enthusiastically. She ran over and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug.

"HARRY! It's good to see you." She said happily.

Harry hugged her back, but his hug didn't suffocate her. "It's good to see you, too. Were you at the Weasley's?"

Lexi nodded. "Yeah, I actually got there an hour—"

"ENOUGH!" growled an impatient Mad-Eye. Lexi now noticed that everyone's eyes were on them. The girls smiling widely at her, she blushed and went back over to Hermione. Tonks hopped up onto the kitchen counter and crossed her legs.

"Harry, look." She said happily as she extended her left arm and wiggled her hand in the air. That's when Lexi saw his eyes noticed the ring on her finger. Harry looked at Lupin then Tonks again.

"You guys got married!" He said shocked.

"Sorry you couldn't be there, it was pretty quiet." Said Lupin, examining the kitchen.

"That's brilliant, congra—"

"All right, all right we'll have plenty of time for cosy chit chat later." Mad-Eye said and the kitchen became utterly silent. Everyone eyes were either on Harry or Mad-Eye. "As you well know now, we had to abandon Plan A. Pius Thicknesse has gone over and most likely told You-Know-Who the plan. Now we cannot Apparate or use the Floo Network because he will have that under surveillance." Mad-Eye dropped two enormous bags at Harry's feet." Second problem you still have the Trace on you since you are under-age."

Harry looked confused. "I don't—"

"THE TRACE! THE TRACE! The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens, the way the Ministry finds out about under-age magic! If you, or anyone around you casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it and so will the Death Eaters. We can't wait for the Trace to break, because the moment you turn seventeen you'll lose all protection your mother gave you. Shot form: Pius Thicknesse thinks he's got you cornered good and proper."

"So what are we going to do?" Harry asked.

"We're going-" Moody started, before being cut off by Lexi.

"We're using the only mode of transportation left, the only ones the Trace can't detect. Brooms, Thestrals and Hagrid's motorbike." She said, shooting a smile at the fuming Moody. Harry wondered how he could still be mad after seeing one of her smiles, but then remembered it was Mad-Eye Moody, ex-Auror, put many Death Eaters in Azkaban, he wasn't dazzled by smiles, and especially not when he was angry.

"Now," He started shooting a glare at Lexi, daring her to interrupt. She smiled again, and Fred and George laughed. "Your mothers charm will break under two conditions: when you come of age, or-" Again he was cut off my Lexi.

"Or you no longer call this hell hole home." She said, smirking at Moody. Harry knew he was about to lose it.

"That's our girl." Fred and George said in unison.

"So, you and your aunt and uncle are going to separate ways tonight, fully understanding that you're never going to live together again, correct?" He asked. Harry nodded quickly.

"This time, when you leave, there'll be no going back, and the charm will break the moment you step outside this range. We're choosing to break it early, because the alternative is waiting or You-Know-Who to come and seize you the moment you turn seventeen." Moody paused for a moment. Lexi took this as an offer to continue for him.

"One thing we do have on our side, Harry, is that You-Know-Who doesn't know anything about us moving you tonight. We leaked a fake trail to the Ministry, well they did, and I had nothing to do with it. They think you're not leaving until the thirteenth. But this is You-Know-Who we're dealing with, so we can't trust he'll get the date wrong; he's bound to have a couple of Death Eaters patrolling the sky in this area-"

"Lexi, are you kidding me? You'll take that risk, any of you will take the risk of dying to get me to a wedding?" Harry asked angrily.

"Harry, we aren't going to have this argument again, it's getting old, deal with it, Harry, and you're loved." Lexi said back, Harry bit his tongue, knowing it was no use arguing with her, because in the end she would win either way.

"So, we've given a dozen different houses every protection we can throw at them. They all look like they could be places we are going to hide you." Moody said, looking at Lexi, expecting her to interrupt again.

And that's exactly what she did. "They all have a connection to the Order, Moody's house, Kinsley's place, Ron's Aunt Muriel's, you get the idea." She finished, smiling at him.

"Yeah." Said Harry, not all truthful, and not all happy.

"You're going to Tonks' parent's house. Once you are in the protective boundaries we have put on the house, you'll be able to us a Portkey to the Burrow" Mad-Eye said.

"Er—yes. They won't know which house I'm going to but won't it be sort of obvious" Harry paused. "when fourteen of us fly off to Tonks' parent's house?" he asked.

"We forgot to mention the key point." Lexi said. "Fourteen of us won't be flying to Tonks' parent's house—_seven Harry Potter's _are going to be moving through the skies, each of them with a companion, moving to a safe house. Then using a Portkey to the Burrow."

Mad-Eye then removed a flask that looked like mud.

"No!" Harry said loudly. "I'm not letting you risk your lives for me."

Lexi groaned. "I knew he would say that." Hermione said.

"If you think I'm going to let six people risk their lives—!"

"None of really fancy the plan Harry." Said Fred. "Imagine us being stuck as a scrawny gits forever."

Lexi looked at Harry's expression, he was not amused. "You can't do it, if I don't cooperate." Harry fought back. "You need some of my hairs."

"Well, that plan scuppered," Said George, Lexi fought back a giggle. "Obviously there's no chance at all of us getting a bit of your hair unless you cooperate."

"Yeah, thirteen of us against one bloke whose not allowed to use magic; we've got no chance." said Fred.

"Funny." Said Harry. "Really amusing."

Moody looked over at Lexi swiftly. Lexi understood and walked over to Harry, her arms wide, asking him for a hug.

"Poor Harry, everyone is being mean to you." She said, with fake sympathy. He all too eagerly wrapped her in a hug, loving having her close to him again. Then there was a quick sharp pain at the back of his neck.

"Ouch!" He yelped, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're a wimp." Lexi said with a laugh, wiggling a few of his hairs in front of his face, and skipping to put it in the potion. She stuck her tongue out at Harry as she got in line for a swig, to become him. Mad-Eye handed each handed the six people in line: Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Fleur, and Lexi a cup filled with Polyjuice Potion. The potion was a gold colour and the six drank the potion down. They all gasped and groaned as the potion hit their throats. Harry's eyes were focused on Lexi. Her skin bubbled as she became tanner, her hair changing colour and going back into her head. She began to grow taller, her eye sight became blurry and her clothes were tight. When it stopped, Lexi looked around and saw that everyone was identical.

"People's clothes who are too tight, c'mere and vice versa. Don't forget your glasses, there are six pair in the pocket and when you done getting dressed get your luggage." Mad-Eye ordered the clones.

Lexi and the rest of the fake Harry's made their way to the sacks, and rummaged for glasses and clothes then put away their own things. Lexi and the rest began to strip down to put on their clothes.

"I knew there was no tattoo on your chest." Ron muttered looking down at his bare chest.

"Harry, your eye sight is horrible." Said Hermione as she put on a pair of glasses.

"Wow, Harry Potter has abs, Quidditch has done good for you." Lexi joked.

Once everyone was done putting on their clothes, they all took a rucksack and cage with a stuffed owl to look like Hedwig."Good, now these are the pairs: Lexi is with me—"Mad-Eye was cut off.

"Do I have to be with you?" A Harry groaned, at the end of the line.

"Yes, now hush-up. Tonks with Ron, Hermione and Kingsley on Thestral, Fred with Arthur, George with Remus, Fleur with Bill also on Thestral."

"Looks like yer with me, 'Arry." Harry smiled at Hagrid. Harry stared at a duplicate of him standing, just waiting for Moody. Harry— the real Harry, wasn't sure how Lexi could make himself look beautiful, but she did. He smiled at her; she turned slightly pink and gave him a small wave. Moody and she led the group outside and they mounted on their broom, and Lexi wrapped her arms around his middle section, easier said than done. Harry almost laughed at himself for feeling a pang of jealousy when Lexi was holding onto Mad-Eye the way she should've been holding onto him.

"Good luck." Lexi said to everyone, but mostly directed to Harry. Harry nodded in thanks to her, telling her the same, and her and Moody took off into the sky. As the roar of the motorbike's engine filled his ears.

Lexi held onto Mad-Eye tightly, as they flew to their destination. The wind blew in her face—or Harry's face; she didn't see anybody else in the air. Right as they got up into the sky, Death Eater's and Voldemort were suddenly behind her. And Voldemort wasn't on a broom like the rest, but flying on a black could. "Oh god." She muttered.

"Hold on!" Mad-Eye shouted as they gained speed.

Lexi from the wasit up was turned to face the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Voldemort flew above the rest of them, waiting for the right moment to join the little battle below him. Lexi and Mad-Eye managed to dodge a whole lot of spells for a good amount of time until-

"Avada Kedavra!" She heard Voldemort shout.

"Mad-Eye DUCK!" Lexi yelled, as she ducked down to dodge the Killing Curse. She reared back up and realized Moody was no longer on the broom. She looked down to see him falling to the ground, his eyes closed except his magical one, and then he was gone.

"NO!" She shouted, as she gripped onto the broom tightly.

"Poor baby Potter, just give up now." Bellatrix screeched, she winced and tried to make the broom go faster, Lexi was successful, but so was Bellatrix and her lot. Voldemort was gaining on her, and she could feel his presence drawing closer and closer towards her.

Spells flew back and forth, from the Death Eaters and Lexi. She had stunned most of the Death Eaters following, which was good.

"Give up, Harry Potter!" Voldemort yelled.

Lexi gave out a small laugh. "You can suck it, Voldy!" She screamed at him. Voldemort balled his fists and shot a spell at Lexi. It narrowly passed her ear. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Lexi screamed and looked away from her opponents.

"Master, we've found the real Harry Potter." A voice said from behind her. Lexi's eyes widened. She looked down at my hands, and that's just the thing, they were her hands, not Harry's. Lexi's eyes widened, the hour couldn't have been over, not yet. She looked behind her, as she began to change back to her true form.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort's sick, cold voice shouted at her, once he realized she wasn't Harry. Lexi ducked just in time as the curse flew past her head. When she got back up, Voldemort was gone, and Lexi was in her true form. _How did they know about the plan?_ She asked herself mentally.

Her eyes met Bellatrix's and her lips curled. "Crap." she muttered, and blonde hair fell into my face.

"Oh, it's Potter's _girlfriend._" She cooed.

Lexi shuddered. "I'm not his girlfriend" She said mummbled. "Stupefy!" She shouted, aiming for Bellatrix but instead hitting another Death Eater in the process. They fell to the ground, and Lexi smiled victoriously. "Obliviate!" She screamed, and it hit another Death Eater in the head. They fell to the ground, damn she had good aim.

Only Bellatrix was left, Lexi raised her wand. "Die, bitch! Ava—"

"Expelliarmus!" Lexi's wand flew out of her hand, and plummeted to the ground. "Potter's wittle girlfriend, trying to kill? Ha, you can't kill me!" Bellatrix laughed.

Lexi looked forward and saw the safe house. She did a nose dive towards the ground dodging a curse Bellatrix had sent. Lexi jumped off the broom once she was a foot from the ground. She began to run towards the house, it came clearer into view every second.

"You can't escape us, foolish girl!" Bellatrix's shrill voice screamed. Lexi whirled around and was now faced with two Death Eaters.

"Stupefy!" Lexi yelled and her spell hit Bellatrix, in her chest sending her backwards. The other Death Eater advanced toward her wand pointed at her.

"Stu—"

"Crucio!" they screamed, Lexi screamed out in pain. Her body was set on fire, everything ached, and she fell onto her knees in agony. She let out a blood-curdling scream; the Death Eater was now in front of her wand an inch away from her nose. They tore off their hood and revealed themselves to her. It was Draco Malfoy. His face hard, expressionless. He increased the spell for a couple of more minutes then stopped.

Lexi breathed heavily, as she stared up at Draco. Lexi got up shakily and raised her wand at him.

He muttered something and her wand flew out of her hand like before. Lexi dug into one of her pockets and took out a pocket knife. Draco didn't look surprised or anything at all.

She lunged at Draco, about to stab him until Draco grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back. She dropped the knife to the concrete floor as she faced the house. She was so close to the safe house, but she failed.

"I'm sorry." Draco whispered in her ear. "I have to or else."

Lexi was confused, what was he talking about? Suddenly Lexi felt a sharp pain on her side. She gasped and fell to the ground as Draco released her. She glanced down to where the pain came from, she was bleeding. Draco had stabbed her with her own knife.

"Son of a bitch." She said aloud as she clamped her hands on her side. Her knife was covered in her blood beside her. Lexi picked it up and put it back in her pocket. And Draco was gone.

Lexi began to feel dizzy and lightheaded. She was determined to get in the house but when she tried to get to her feet, she only fell back down. Her blood drenched her clothing, as her eyelids began to weigh tons. She fought to keep them open but she failed. She fell onto the street and blacked out.

A/N : yeah this is the first part to the sqeuel? Like? Dislike? REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!


	2. Where the Lines Overlap

Lexi awoke on her bed at the Weasley's in the room she shared with Hermione. Bright sports danced around in her vision as she saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron standing above her. She groaned as she remembered what had happened to her—to Mad-Eye.

"Lexi!" Hermione exclaimed as she crashed into her with a hug.

Lexi smiled slightly. "Hi there."

Hermione pulled away, she looked as if she had been crying. Her face was smeared with worry. "What happened to you? You didn't come back; Kingsley and Bill went looking for you and found you in front of your safe house. You were all scratched up, dirt on your face, and bleeding badly. Bill he said Mad-Eye d-d—"

"It's true. He's dead." She said sadly. "I told him to duck but he didn't and Voldemort he killed him. Then my potion wore off and Bellatrix came and everything happened _so_ quickly. And Draco was there, he—he stabbed me." She explained softly.

"I need to tell you guys something." Hermione piped up after a few moments of silence. "Since we are going to hunt down the Horcruxes, I modified my parents memories so they're convinced they are called Wendell and Monica Wilkins, and that there life ambition is to moved to Austraila, which they have already done. That's to make it more difficult for Voldemort to interrogate them about me- or Harry. If we survive I'll lift the enchantment. I've cast a pretty good spell, but the sad thing is that Wendell and Monica Welkins don't know they have a daughter'' Hermione's eyes were now swimming with tears and Ron wrapped and arm around her for comfort.

"I've made my family ghoul look like me and have an illness, for my family's saftey." Ron said quietly.

"I told mine to change their names and move over seas to Canada or America" Lexi said as she sat up in her bed.

"Oh, uhm. You guys-" Harry started off.

Suddenly, the room door burst open revealing Ginny. "Oh great you're awake." She said sarcastically. "Come on you thre—four dinner is ready." She said then exited the room.

Lexi rolled my eyes. "Well seems like dinner is ready." She got off her bed, and the boys rushed to support her if she fell. Harry held her waist and Ron her left arm. "Guy's I'm fine, honestly."

"You were stabbed by that blonde git, you're probably still going to be weak." Said Ron as they practically dragged her down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Ah, Lexi." Said Mrs. Weasley "Are you alright, dear? Patched up your wound up." Lexi slid into a chair in between Harry and Hermione. Ginny sat beside Harry, glaring at her as he held her hand on his lap.

"I'm alright, thank you Mrs. Weasley." She said smiling.

"So Lexi, what happened?" George asked, leaning forwards. Lexi noticed that there was a black hole where his ear should have been.

"What happened to you?" she asked in return. "Snape blew his ear off." Fred explained. "And he used the holey joke! HOLEY JOKE, HONESTLY GEORGE!"

George let out a small chuckle and looked at Lexi waiting for her to explain her story. She drew a breath as everyone's eye fell on her and she explained what had happened. Everyone was silent for a few moments, and then Harry raised his glass of Fire Whiskey. "To Mad-Eye."

"To Mad-Eye!" Everyone said together.

* * *

After dinner, everyone had left the table expect Lexi, Ron, Hermione and Harry. They all sat in silent with Fire Whiskey in their and George approached Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lexi.

"Lexi, can I ask you something?" Fred asked.

"Do I have another option?" She asked jokingly. Fred rolled his eyes.

"Can you think of other jokes besides holey?"

"Are you still going on about this?" She asked with a groan.

"Yes, now think."

"Truthfully, Fred, if my ear got blasted off, I wouldn't have been joking, be thankful for that." Lexi told him, he groaned, it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. He stomped away George trailing behind.

Lexi looked over at Harry who was shaking by the looks of it. She wrapped her arms around Harry's torso, resting her head in the crook of his neck, shushing him quietly. She snuggled a little closer to him, and though he had told her they couldn't be together, he wrapped his arm around her waist too, and cried to me, it was a soft quiet cry. She hurt for him, her heart ached for him. She had never seen Harry cry before, expect for Dumbledore. Harry and Moody were never really that close but then she remembered something he had told her, he also lost Hedwig.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." she muttered, and kissed his cheek swiftly. Harry smiled a little as kissed the top of her head. He removed his arms from her and left the kitchen. Ron soon after followed him. Hermione looked at Lexi.

"What?" she asked.

"You and Harry."

"What about us?"

"Remind me why you aren't together, right now. I mean you obviously love each other by what I can see." Lexi took a sip from her Fire Whiskey and sighed.

"Because Harry said that Voldemort would use me if we did. No matter what we want." Hermione patted one of Lexi's hands and gave her a comforting smile. "It's alright. But you know what? In the end you'll be together. I know you'll be."

Lexi smiled at her. "Thanks Hermione."

"No problem. Come on let's get some sleep." She said tugging Lexi out of her chair and up the stairs for a good night's rest.

* * *

Lexi woke with a start when the light came through the windows. She groaned quietly, so as not to wake Ginny or Hermione. She got up quietly and walked out of the room. She was wearing basketball shorts and a tank top. She pushed her arms into a sweat shirt and trotted almost silently downstairs.

She smiled when she saw she wasn't the only one awake. Tonks and Remus sat next to each other on a sofa, talking quietly, Tonks was smiling a bit, looking from Remus' face back to her ring, and something told Lexi she wasn't really paying attention.

Bill and Fleur sat at the table with papers in front of them, smiling widely. It must've been wedding plans.

And Harry sat alone in the chair, not talking to anyone. Lexi frowned.

"Good morning, everyone!" She shouted, loud enough to get everyone's attention, but not loud enough to wake up anyone else.

Harry looked up and smiled; he got up and moved to a couch, patting the seat next to him. Lexi skipped over to him.

"Good morning." She said, smiling at him, and flopping in the seat next to him.

"I've never known you as an early riser, or a morning person." Harry smirked.

"Well there's this new thing called the sun, and it is really bright when your window is facing it. Who knew?"

Harry laughed, and hugged Lexi around the shoulders. Lexi rested her head in his shoulder.

"Although, you do make a very tempting pillow." She joked.

Harry chuckled. He hugged me again, and I smiled. "It's almost your birthday Harry!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah." He said awkwardly. "You don't have to get me anything."

"Pfft, fine. Be that way." Lexi crossed her arms. Harry laughed at her.

"Hey guys!" Hermione sad happily, to the two. She looked at Lexi giving her a look. Lexi uncrossed her arms and blushed slightly.

"Hey Hermione." Harry said, almost as happy as her. Hermione plopped down onto the couch next to me.

"Everyone sure is happy today..." Lexi said, suddenly remembering what had happened just last night. She wondered how everyone could be happy, so fast.

Hermione's smile faded from her face once she realized what I was thinking about. She looked away from Lexi and Harry. "I can't believe it...Mad-Eye is actually dead."

"Yeah..." Harry said, his voice turning sad.

"Why is everyone so sad?" someone asked from behind the three. We all turned around and faced Ginny and Ron. They sat on the arm rests. Ron on Hermione's side and Ginny on Harry's side. Ginny's arm was draped over Harry's shoulder, looking at Lexi. She rolled my eye, knowing she was doing this to annoy Lexi. They were on the verge of a war and all Ginny is doing, is trying to get Harry date her again.

"Ready, Fred?" She heard a voice whisper from behind her. It made her anger go away temporarily, but of course, fear sank in.

"Ready, George." A voice responded, and Fred appeared in front of her. He grabbed her ankles and George grabbed her wrists. Everyone stood up in shock as they watched Lexi get swung away by the twins. She was swung around the Burrow, nearly hitting and breaking a few things. They ran outside and dropped her on the ground, hard. Lexi groaned and sat up, the twins looking down at her.

"So, Lexi, why were you so angry when we came downstairs?" Fred asked.

She shrugged. "Your sister is trying to flirt with Harry."

"I thought you guys weren't together." George said, confused.

"We're not." Lexi shot back.

"Than why is this such a problem?"

"Because we are going to have a war soon, very soon, and all she can think about is dating Harry, she is obsessed and doesn't know where to stop, and-"

"And your jealous." Fred said smugly.

"No!" Lexi shot. "Maybe." Her voice lowered. "Yes." She whispered, it was hardly audible, but being the twins, she was sure they heard it anyway.

The twins smiled and pulled Lexi up. They both wrapped their arms around her. "Oh Lexi, poor jealous Lexi." George said smiling up at the sky.

"Yes George?"

"You need to get over Harry." Fred butt in.

George and Lexi looked at Fred. His twin did not expect him to say that, literally. "I know." Lexi said quietly.

"You're not going to be safe if you don't."

Lexi groaned. "You sound like Harry. 'You'll get hurt if you like him.' 'Voldemort will use you, Lexi.' I get it alright? I don't need another lecture from you Fred. I've heard it already!" She snapped.

George shook his head at his twin, and Fred stood there staring down at Lexi. "Lexi I—"

"I know you're sorry. I always hear it." She said, crossing her arms.

"Lexi, we know how you feel about Harry. Everyone can see it, you know. And Harry he loves you, he does. But it's too dangerous right now to be romantically linked." George said behind her.

She turned around, her fist clenching and unclenching. "Not you to, George! I know, alright. I'm not going to be with him. I get it, so stop it. Ginny can have him then."

"Well, we don't exactly want Ginny going out with him, either. We need to explain that to her, especially since she is going to be going to school, away from the protection of the Order."

Lexi nodded, knowing no one would want her to go out with Harry in the state of things.

"So, Fred." Lexi started.

"Yeah?" Fred responded looking down at Lexi.

"I thought of a joke for losing an ear." Lexi said, laughing to herself.

"I knew you would." Fred smiled. "Remember, I asked him how I felt first.

"So ask me, recreate it." Lexi laughed.

"So how do you feel?" Fred asked.

Lexi placed both hands on the side of her head, and screamed "I LOST A FUCKING EAR! HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL, DUMB ASS!" She laughed.

Fred frowned."That isn't any better, in fact, its worse." Fred said.

"I never said it was better." She smirked.

"Are you spawn of the devil? Getting my hopes up, just so you can tear me back down."

"No, I'm friends with you, it's what you get." She scoffed. Fred and George gave each other a look, and picked her up the way they did before. Swinging her back and forth, before throwing her in the mud. They laughed, and pointed, and then Lexi rose from the mud, and glared at them.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" She screamed as she began to chase them into the house, covered in dirt. The twins ran inside the house Lexi running behind them.

"Lexi?" Harry said, holding back a laugh. "You're covered in mud."

"No really?" She said angrily."I THOUGHT I WASN'T!"

Harry held up his hands surrendering. "Sorry."

"I'm going to take a shower." She said and went up the stairs leaving mud tracks.

"Mum is going to go ballistic when she sees all this mud." Ron said to Harry, as Lexi disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

Few days later

Lexi came bursting into the boy's room early morning and hugged Harry who was sleeping. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

Harry yawned. "Thanks Lexi." He mumbled.

"Your 17! WHY ARE YOU GETTING OLD ON ME?"

Harry groaned and sat up in his bed. "Excuse you? You're older than me."

"I know, but it's like a mum losing her son. It's sad really." Lexi said, looking over her shoulder at a grumpy half asleep Ron, she laughed at him.

"If you are like a mum, aren't you supposed to be crying, and hugging me to no end?" Harry questioned.

"We'll get to that later, come on, Harry there are presents downstairs! It's like Christmas, except, it's all for you."

"Your present to me, then will be more sleep." Harry said, rolling back under the covers. Lexi rolled her eyes, pulled the covers off him and pushed him off the bed.

"I already got you enough presents; I'm not adding sleep onto the list!" Lexi said loudly. Harry groaned and got up, reaching in one of his bags for a shirt and a pair of jeans. He set it on his bed, and waited for Lexi to leave.

Lexi smiled widely and went over to Ron's bed; she kneeled and whispered into his ear.

"Ron, wake up." Ron grumbled in response. Lexi rolled her eyes at Harry.

"Ron, there's donuts." Lexi whispered.

Ron almost flew out of bed, landing on the floor, the blanket on top of his head and wrapping around his torso. "Where's the donuts!" He asked loudly. Lexi and Harry laughed.

"There isn't any, but know that you're awake, let's go down stairs and let Harry open presents." Lexi smiled.

Ron bent over to Lexi and whispered. "I forget to get him a present." Lexi nodded.

"I know that's why I got another one and put your name on it." Lexi whispered back.

"Thank you." He whispered gratefully. Lexi got of Ron's bed and walked out of the room, waving to them.

"Get dressed." She snapped.

Ron turned to Harry. "She's scary sometimes, she knows what we're going to do, or not do before we do or don't do it. She is the devil, Harry, in the form of a teenage girl."

Harry smiled, but didn't agree, she just had a strange way with people. "You said that about Hermione in first year."

Ron blushed. "WELL SHE WAS KINDA MENTAL!" He said loudly then hushed himself and went into the bathroom.

Once the boys were ready they made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ginny, Hermione, and Lexi stood there.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" They shouted and Ginny ran over and hugged Harry. Lexi rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Thanks everyone." Harry said after giving Ginny a quick hug. Lexi wave her wand and a dozen presents came flying in to the kitchen and landed on the table in front of Harry.

"Uh...thanks for the gifts everyone." Harry said, smiling a bit. Harry opened a square present and it was a book. He looked at Hermione but she shook her head.

"It's from Ron." Lexi said.

"_Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches?" _Harry said as he read the cover aloud.

Ron shrugged. "I've read that book before, and I guess you could use it." He looked at Lexi, thinking how she found that book in his room.

"If you only had this last year to get rid of Lavender." Hermione said, her arms folded across her chest."

"Yeah, and get with..." Ron's voice trailed off, but Lexi knew what he meant and she smiled.

Hermione handed Harry his present from her and it was a new Sneakoscope. Bill and Fleur gave him an enchanted razor, a box of chocolate from the Fleur's parents, and the latest merchandise from the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Here Harry," Lexi said handing him a long package. "It's my present."

Harry ripped off the wrapping paper and he gasped. It was a new Firebolt. "Lexi, how did you afford this?" He asked

She shrugged. "I know people."

"Thank you." Harry said smiling at her widely.

"Oh, Harry dear happy birthday." Said Mrs. Weasley as she handed him a small square parcel. He unwrapped it. Inside was a watch, like the one they had given Ron for his birthday. It was gold, with stars circling around the face instead of his hands.

"It's tradition to give a wizard a watch for their seventeenth birthday." Said Mr. Weasley.

Harry smiled. "Thank you, everyone."

"I have breakfast ready in the kitchen. Serve yourselves." Mrs. Weasley said sweetly. Everyone ran as fast as they possibly could to the kitchen, Lexi waited, standing happily next to Harry.

"Thanks, Lexi. You're amazing, you know that, right?" Harry said, smiling down at her.

"I've been told." Lexi smirked; she gave Harry a quick one armed hug, before letting go.

Harry put his hand on the small of her back, and led her to the kitchen, they grabbed the last two plates and served themselves, Harry didn't take much, one pancake one piece of bacon and one sausage link. However, Lexi took three pancakes, five pieces of bacon, two sausage links and two over medium eggs. Lexi looked at her plate and smiled.

"Harry, you know it is unhealthy to be anorexic, right?" Lexi said, staring down at the pitiful amount of food on his plate. He nudged her, sticking his tongue out. Lexi laughed, and sat on the stairs in between Ron and Harry, Hermione below her, and Fred and George behind her.

* * *

After breakfast Harry, Ron, Hermione and Lexi retreated upstairs. They walked down the hall, Harry and Lexi laughing.

"Harry, could I talk to you?" Ginny said poking her head out of her room.

Harry looked at Lexi, who wasn't paying any attention and making her way down the hall. Harry hesitantly followed Ginny into her room, Ron was about to follow him inside until Hermione grabbed him and steered him the other way.

Hermione and Ron caught up with Lexi at the end of the hall. "What do you think they are doing?" Ron asked.

"Ron, it's personal." Hermione said. Looking at a surprisingly silent Lexi.

"What do you think she wanted to talk to him about?" Lexi asked her as Ron started pacing.

"I don't know, maybe she has a present for him?" Hermione suggested

"A present, my arse!" Ron exclaimed.

"Would you stop being so silly! I'm sure nothing is going on."

"Maybe… but what if she's like making out with him or something and then they run away together, then we have to finish hunting down the Horcruxes ourselves, then Voldemort kills us, then-"

Lexi's eyes widened at the thought of what Ron said. What if they were snogging? Oh, bloody hell.

Hermione cut off my rambling by grabbing the front of my sweater and shaking it furiously. "Get a hold of yourself, Ronald or I swear to god I will slap you!" Hermione looked a little flustered as she realized she still had a very firm grip on my sweater and quickly let go.

The three sat for a few more minutes in silence before Ron lost it. "That's it I'm going it there it's been way to long!" Ron said and bolted out of the room.

"Ron! Would you stop it, they're having a private conversation!" Hermione yelled at him. But of course did that stop him? No.

He practically sprinted to Ginny's room, Hermione and Lexi behind him. Once the girl's caught up with Ron he grabbed a hold of the knob and flung it open. Lexi's heart dropped when she saw Harry and Ginny in the middle of a snog fest.

"Oh, sorry." Ron muttered as his ears turned red.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled slightly out of breathe.

"Well happy birthday anyway, Harry." Ginny said flatly.

There was an uncomfortable silence in which Harry looked at Ginny then back to us. He looked embarrassed. Lexi watch Ginny exit her room and push past her, but she didn't care. She didn't even really feel Ginny pass her. Harry locked eyes with Lexi and before she even knew what she was doing, she was running down the stairs and out to the yard.

"Lexi, wait!" Harry shouted behind her as the other three followed her outside.

Lexi's hands were balled into fists, anger, and sadness, and utter confusion shown very clearly in her face.

"Lexi-" Harry started, finally catching up.

"Save it, Harry!" Lexi yelled. "I totally get it. _You love Ginny_, it is bloody obvious, the way you hugged her this morning, the way you ever so willing went into her bedroom, eagerly, even! I get it, no need to explain, Harry. You should just know that I really don't care, we are great friends, and I embrace that, another relationship would ruin that. You know I never really got over Fred, anyway." Lexi yelled, causing everyone to either look out the windows or come outside.

"Oh, really?" Harry asked, forgetting his past argument plan.

"Yeah, haven't been able to stop thinking about him. You know they say you can never stop loving, you either still do or never did in the first place."

"And where does that leave me?"

She bit her lip."I _never_ loved you, Harry, you were always the friend." She lied.

"Well if you love Fred so damn much, why don't you go...why don't you go..."

"Go what? Go what, Harry? Huh."

"I don't know, snog him in some dark closet or something."

"FINE! Maybe I will, at least he isn't like his damn sister. Have fun with it." Lexi spat. Harry's face fell when she pushed passed him. Lexi turned around, Harry sat on the ground, she opened her mouth to say something, then shook her head and walked into the house, pushing passed everyone and heading into the room her and Hermione shared. She sat on the bed, but didn't cry, she felt extremely guilty, but wasn't about to get up and apologize.

A few hours later there was two knocks on her door. She didn't say anything, but they stepped in anyway. Lexi didn't have to look up to know who it was.

"Hey Harry." She said sheepishly.

**A/N : hey,hey. thanks for the positive reviews so far. I mean, mrs0cullen and I really appriciate and love you guys for it. so keep it up. pls. **


	3. Fixed at Zero

"Hi Harry." She said sheepishly.

Harry stood in the door way awkwardly. "Hi."

Lexi turned from the window to face Harry."What do you want?" she asked.

"To talk, and _not_ yell." He said simply, walking over to Lexi now. He sat next to her on the bed, as she pulled her legs to her chest and resting her chin on them. Harry wanted to grab her hand but he knew she'd jerk her hand away.

"Fine, talk." She said her eyes were distant. They were drifting in space, she was no doubt thinking of something important.

"I don't like Ginny, alright. She kissed me, for my—uh birthday gift. I didn't even kiss her back. She kissed me when you guys came bursting in. Honest I swear." He told her, searching her face for any sign of emotion. But there was nothing.

"Alright, that must have been a nice gift for you, a kiss." She said her voice sounding a tad harsh. "Beat my present." She muttered softly.

"What? It didn't beat you gift. Yours was my absolute favourite. You must have spent a fortune on the Firebolt." Harry told her.

Lexi gave a small smile and turned a slight pink. "Thanks." She muttered. Harry nodded.

"You...You don't really still love Fred, right?" Harry asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Lexi laughed once without humour. "No, I was just angry, and-" Lexi started.

"I get it." Harry said, cutting her off.

"So what do you want to do for the rest of your birthday?" Lexi asked, in an attempt to make conversation.

"I don't know..." Harry trailed off. Looking over at Lexi with a gleam in his eye, but of course Lexi didn't even notice. She never notices, how beautiful she is, or when he looks at her. "Hey Lex?"

Lexi turned her head and she was looking Harry right in the eye. Their faces were now mere centimetres apart from each other. He crashed his lips her own. The kiss was blissful, passionate. Lexi kissed him back as he cupped her face. Lexi wrapped one of her arms around his neck and her other hand was lost in his messy jet-black hair.

Unfortunately for Harry, she pulled away. "Uh—wow. Two kisses in one day Harry." she said smiling. Harry smiled and left a lingering kiss on her forehead. Lexi smile widened a and she intertwined their fingers together. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Happy birthday, Harry." She whispered.

There was a knock at the door and Hermione popped her head in. She smiled at the sight of Harry and Lexi. "Are you guys dating now?"

"Uh—"Lexi looked up at Harry. "No, sorry to dissapoint Hermione." She said as Hermione smile faded away.

"Oh, well Harry your birthday dinner is ready. Mrs. Weasley says wear something a little nice." Hermione informed them. Harry nodded and got off the bed. He gave Lexi a small wave goodbye and she smiled at him.

Once Harry left the room, Lexi started to rummage through her clothes."Something a little nice. What the hell does that mean?" Lexi said angrily, looking through her trunk.

"Just wear something not to casual, but not too fancy." Hermione explained, going through her own clothes, pulling out a few outfits. Lexi laughed.

"If we were in 3rd year we wouldn't give a damn, would we?" Lexi asked.

Hermione shook her head, with a small smile. Hermione picked her outfit, it was a blue dress with a low swooping neck and short sleeved. It tightened with elastic at her hips and flowed to her knees. Lexi had seen her wear it before, she was stunning in it. Hermione walked over to Lexi's trunk, pulling out a bright sleeveless yellow dress that looked short, but not too short.

"What about this one?" Hermione asked.

Lexi shook her head. "I'm saving that for the wedding." She explained. Hermione nodded and put it back.

Hermione smiled and grabbed Lexi's wrist and dragged her over to her trunk. She shoved a light green sleeveless with darker green circles on it, in her hands, it was satin, and extra cloth covering her chest. Lexi smiled and changed.

Hermione brushed her hair thoroughly, so it wasn't too busy. Lexi didn't know what to do with her hair, though. She ended up putting it in a loose, messy bun that looked half ponytail. She smiled at Hermione, and they walked downstairs to a waiting Ron and Harry, who were both at a loss for words when they saw the two of them. Ron and Hermione linked arms and walked out to the yard, Harry and Lexi linked arms as well and Harry planted a light kiss on her cheek as she sat down next to him.

Everyone came, Tonks, Remus, Hagrid, and Mr. Weasley was on his way. Mrs. Weasley came out of the Burrow with a gigantic cake that was crafted to look like a snitch. Harry smiled at the sight. It floated in mid-air as Mrs. Weasley held her wand out at it to keep it that way. She nestled it in the middle of the table.

Mr. Weasley soon arrived and came running through the yard. "The Minister is coming." He announced, as he began to catch his breath. His wife looked confused.

"But wh—"

"There is no time to explain he's coming, right now." Mr. Weasley said and he plopped down into a chair.

Lupin stood up and looked at Harry with a sad look. "I'm sorry Harry, we shouldn't have come. Happy birthday." He said as he grabbed Tonks hand and hopped over the fence with her and they disappeared into the dark.

"Wonder what happened to them." Lexi whispered to Harry. Harry shrugged, and looked worried. Lexi grabbed Harry's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Harry smiled at her.

"You look amazing." Harry whispered to Lexi, so quiet it was meant only for her.

Lexi turned slightly pink. "Thanks." She muttered.

Harry nodded, not sure what to say. Lexi giggled, kissed his cheek.

The Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour came into lantern light after awhile. "Sorry to intrude." He said, giving a presence of power. "Especially since I see I'm gate crashing a party." His eyes lingered to the giant Snitch cake. Scrimgeour looked at Harry. "I would like a private word, with you Mr. Potter. As well as your friends, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, and Ms. Moore."

Lexi, Ron, Hermione, and Harry stood up from their seats. "But why us?" Hermione asked. Scrimgeour said nothing to her, and he turned to Ron.

"Would you show us to the living room?"

Ron nodded and the five made their way into the living room. The four tried to fit themselves on the couch.

"What do you want?" Lexi piped up, her arms crossed across her chest.

The Minister gave her a look. "I'm here to talk to about Dumbledore. He has mentioned you four in his will. It will help if I speak with you privately. I'll start with you, Ronald, could the rest of you wait upstairs."

Lexi shook her head "Hell no." She stated simply, Harry and Hermione agreed.

"Fine then I will speak to all of you. I am here, as I'm sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore's will."

They all exchanged glances before looking back up at Scrimgeour. "A surprise apparently, were you now aware he left you anything?"

"All of us? Me and Hermione and Lexi, too?" Ron asked.

"Yes, all of-" Scrimgeour started, before getting interrupted by Harry.

"Dumbledore died almost a month ago. Why has it taken so long to get us what he left us?"

"Isn't it obvious, they wanted to check everything, which they had no right to do." Hermione piped up, Lexi glared furiously at Scrimgeour.

"I had every right." Scrimgeour shot back.

"Every right? To search something that was legally ours! It is practically stealing." Lexi said angrily.

"No, Lexi, it isn't stealing. It isn't right, but it isn't stealing." Hermione said.

"Well it should be stealing." Lexi said, disappointed. "And with as much respect I can give you, Minister. How about you give us our stuff then get the hell out of Ron's house." She snapped her eyes red.

The Minister glared at her. "I always wondered why you were put in Gryffindor, Lexi. I think you'd make a promising Slytherin instead."

She scoffed. "In your damn dreams."

"Anyways," Scrimgeour said as he took out a scrolled up piece of parchment. "'The_ Last and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brain Dumbledore.' ..._yes here we are..._'to Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave him my Deluminator, in hope that he will remember me when he uses it" _Scrimgeour reached into a bag and took out a silver cigarette lighter-looking item. He bent over the table and handed it to Ron, who turned it over looking stunned.

"That is a valuable object." The Minister said as he watched Ron. "It is certainly Dumbledore's own design. Why would he leave it with you?" Ron shook his head looking at the Deluminator.

"Dumbledore must've taught a thousand students, yet the only ones he remembered in his will were you four, why is that? What do you think Dumbledore would want you to do with that object?" Scrimgeour asked.

Ron shrugged and Lexi rolled her eyes. "To put out lights, I suppose. Isn't that what it does?" Ron stated.

Scrimgeour turned to Hermione."_To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive_." Scrimgeour took out an old looking book; Hermione took it without saying anything. She looked at the cover, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Why do you think Dumbledore left you this book, Miss Granger?" Scrimgeour asked.

"He knew I liked to read." Hermione said, wiping more tears from her eyes.

The Minister looked at Hermione for a moment then returned back to his list. " '_To Alexis Chase Moore, I leave her with Grodric Gryffindor's sword, in hope she'll be to remember her days at Hogwarts when she has graduated and for when she in dire need to use it.' _Scrimgeour took out the silver sword, it was jewell incrested and he handed it to Lexi. "Why would he give you the sword?"

"To whoop your ass with it." He muttered to herself. "I don't know, to remember my days as a Gryffindor, he knew I admired the sword anyways. Maybe it'll look good on my wall." Lexi casually shrugged.

Scrimgeour studied Lexi, trying to detect she was lying but nothing so he returned to Dumbledore's will. "_And to Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill_." As the man pulled out the golden, walnut sized ball its wing fluttered feebly. "Why did Dumbledore leave you this Snitch?"

Harry shook his head. "No idea. Maybe for the reasons you read out, I suppose. To remind me what you can get if you ...persevere and whatever else it was."

Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow. "You think this is just a mere symbolic keepsake then?"

"I suppose so. What else could it be?"

"I'm asking the questions." Said Scrimgeour, shifting in his chair. "I notice your birthday cake is in the shape of a Snitch. Why is that?"

Lexi and Hermione laughed derisively. "It couldn't be a reference to Harry being a great Seeker that's way too obvious." Lexi said in a sarcastic tone. "Dumbledore must have hid something in the icing because he always has something to hide, even in cakes."

"I don't think there is anything in the icing." Said Scrimgeour. "But a Snitch is a very good hiding place for a small object. You know why I'm right?"

Harry shrugged. Lexi rolled her eyes "Because you're the Minister and everything you say is right?" She smiled.

Ron chuckled but covered it up with a cough. The Minister however was not amused. "Shut it you insolent girl."

Lexi snorted. "Who's the one with the sword in their hand?" She asked as she tightened her grip on the sword's hilt.

Scrimgeour gulped, before saying "Assaulting or killing the Minister will land you in Azkaban. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"If I got a dime every time I heard that." Lexi said, twisting the sword in her hands, making Scrimgeour cringe. "And, if I got a Galloen every time I got out of something." Lexi continued. Harry smiled, knowing how true it was, and nodded to Scrimgeour.

"Well." Scrimgeour started eyeing Lexi carefully. "Snitches have flesh memory."

"What's that?" Lexi asked rudely.

"A Snitch is not touched by bare skin, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It carries and enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay hands upon it, in case of disputed capture." Scrimgeour said smugly. This Snitch, will remember Mr. Potter's touch. It occurs to me that Dumbledore, who has prodigious magical powers, whatever are other faults, might have enchanted the Snitch so it will only open for you."

Harry was silent. "You say nothing, perhaps you already know what the Snitch contains." Said Scrimgeour.

"No."

"Take it then." He said quietly. He leaned over the table and dropped the small Snitch into Harry's hand. Harry's fingers closed around the Snitch, its tired wings fluttered.

"Well, that was dramatic." Said Harry coolly. Hermione, Lexi, and Ron laughed.

"That's all then?" Hermione asked.

"If so, leave."Lexi said.

"Oh," said Scrimgeour. "I forgot something to tell Potter and Moore. The sword is for the both of you, but mainly Lexi. I don't know why, but maybe you two would know."

Lexi looked down at the sword then to Harry. "Hm, we both own the sword. Interesting. You know, Minister you ask us the same thing 'would you know why he gave it to you?' and every time we say 'no.' Do you think this time would be any different?"

"Maybe he gave you two the sword because Dumbledore believed that only the sword of Grodric Gryffindor could defeat the Heir of Slytherin? "

"Interesting theory." Said Harry.

"Has anyone tried to stab Voldemort with a sword? Maybe the Ministry should put people on that instead of wasting time stripping down Deluminators, or covering up breakouts from Azkaban. So this is what you've been doing, Minister? Being shut up in your office trying to break open a little old Snitch that Harry caught in his first year?" Lexi said smugly.

"You go too far, Moore!" Scrimgeour stood up reaching for Lexi. She welcomed this challenge and stood up as well. Harry pushed Lexi behind him, landing her on the couch again.

"Don't touch her." Harry spat. "She doesn't know where to stop, especially not when she's angry. Forgive her this once, and you'll never have to hear from her again." Harry said, still hissing at Scrimgeour slightly.

Scrimgeour eyed Lexi once more, looking at the anger in her eyes and the sword in her hand, he walked out angrily. "I've never been so disrespected in my life." He growled angrily on his way out.

Harry turned to Lexi once the Minister Apparated away. "God, Lexi, you almost got yourself thrown in Azkaban."

"Well, I'm sorry, like you said; I don't know when to stop." Lexi hissed, turning away and stomping up the stairs.

"Lexi! Don't do this again." Harry called after her, trying to follow her. Hermione stopped him. She didn't say anything, or give him a mean look. She just pulled Harry back and pushed passed him, and ran up the stairs. She walked into the room Lexi and her share. Lexi sat on the bed, on tear slid silently down her cheek, but it was alone. Hermione sat next to her, rubbing her arm soothingly.

"Lexi, talk to me. Please."

"About what?" she said softly.

"Anything. I just don't know what's going on with you anymore. You're always angry now." Hermione said a sad gleam in her eyes.

"I'm just frustrated, Hermione. Ginny is being a piss-off, Scrimgeour is a bitch, Voldemort is gaining power by the second, I watched Mad-Eye die, and Harry and I are always fighting." She said in one breath then fell onto her bed. "Why can't it all just go away?"

Hermione looked at her sad, frustrated friend as Lexi held onto her head and closed her eyes. "It'll be over soon enough. The weddings tomorrow, and then were going on our mission. It'll be over soon, I promise."

"Mhm." Lexi said quietly.

"You know what? Let's go shopping. Diagon Alley, a Muggle mall, wherever. Let's get out of here, a girl's night out." Hermione suggested, tugging at Lexi's arm.

Lexi smiled a bit. "Alright, let's go to a Muggle mall. Haven't been to one of those in awhile."


	4. Wedding Day

Lexi sat at a table in Starbucks cafe that was located inside the Indigo bookstore, she had '_The Truth About Forever' _in her one of her hands, her eyes moving left to right as she read each page in less than a minute. Her other hand grasped around her Starbucks hot chocolate and lifted it up to her lips to take a sip.

"Ou, _the Truth about Forever_. Nice choice." Someone said to her.

Lexi dropped the book down to her legs and kept her finger on the page she was on as she closed the book. A guy a couple of inches taller than Harry was standing in front of her. He had brown-ish black hair, and sea-green eyes. He wore a plaid shirt with jeans and the same worn out Converse as Lexi does all the time.

"Thanks." She said smiling a bit.

"I'm Logan by the way." He said as he stuck out his hand.

She grabbed his hand and shook it. "Lexi."

"Nice to meet you. And what brings you to this Starbucks all alone?" He asked taking a seat across from her.

"I'm actually not here alone; I'm here with my friend. Who I seem to have lost."

Logan raised an eyebrow at her."What's her name?" He asked again.

"Hermione." Lexi said taking another sip from her drink.

"Hm, I went to school with a girl named Hermione. A year younger than me but extremely smart." Logan said as he leaned back in his chair. "What was her last name?"

"Granger. Hermione Granger was her name." Lexi said a little cautiously as she crossed her left leg over her right one.

Logan looked a little stunned. "That is the name of the girl I went to school with. How do you know her?"

"I went to school with her."

Logan looked taken back. "Really?"

"Yeah." Lexi nodded, chuckling a little. "Do you always ask so many questions?" She asked smiling.

He shook his head. "Not really. But anyways, what house?" Logan asked leaning forward now.

Lexi looked a little taken back."Um...Gryffindor."

"Oh, I'm a Ravenclaw. Just got out last year." Then a look of realization crossed his face. "You're Lexi Moore, Potter's girl."

Lexi looked at the white-brown coloured table and laughed nervously, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, not really _his _girl anymore."

"You guys broke up?"

"Again with the questions." She said jokingly looking up from the table and meeting Logan's green eyes. "But yeah, we did."

Logan stared into Lexi's eye for a while then looked down at her cup of hot chocolate that she held with both hands wrapped around it. "Shame," he finally said. "you guys really looked good together."

Lexi winced at his comment. "Yeah—I get that _a lot_ these days. Anyways, are you looking for a certain book?" She asked, changing the subject.

Logan shook his head. "Nope, I usually just stumble upon something."

"Lexi, there you are!" Hermione's voice said as she walked into Starbucks, carrying about five or more books in her hands. Her gaze turned from Lexi to Logan, she smiled once she recognized who it was. "Hey Logan. How are you?" she asked as she pulled up a chair and sat down, placing the books on the table.

Logan nodded and looked at the books on the table. "Hey Hermione, I'm good. How about you?"

"Good. I see you've met my friend Lexi." She said smiling. Lexi took a sip of her drink again and looked from Hermione to Logan, whichever one was talking.

"Yes, I have. You have quite a great friend here, Hermione." He said flashing a smile at Lexi who smiled back at him.

Lexi looked at Hermione's stack of books. "What did you buy Hermione?"

"Well, I got _'Gone with the Wind'_ which I will lend to you if you want. And I got this one cook book, which I'm going to give Fleur for her wedding, she's not the greatest cook in the world. And I got this one called _'Pride and Prejudice'_ and another one by the same author called '_Emma_' and then I got this one for you." She said, handing me the last book in the pile. "I already bought it, no use in returning it."

The title was _'101 tips to a happy relationship'_. Lexi turned pink and covered it with her other book which she forgot she had. She hoped Logan hadn't seen the cover. "Thanks, Hermione." She said through her teeth.

"Anything I can help you find?" Logan asked Lexi.

Lexi thought for a minute."Um, anything you would recommend?" Lexi asked him.

Logan paused for a moment."My sister goes on and on about one _'The Other Boleyn Girl'_, I can help you find it, see if it sounds interesting to you."

Lexi nodded. "Ok. Thanks, Logan." She said. The three left their seat and went to the section where they could find that certain book. Logan found it first, and handed it to Lexi. She read the back and thought it would be interesting for her to read during some down time.

"It seems very interesting. I think I'll buy it." Lexi said examining the cover of the book.

Logan smiled. "Alright." He said. "I'm going to look around. Maybe I'll see you around again some time." Logan smiled at Hermione and Lexi.

The girls nodded. "Yeah, bye Logan." Lexi said then turned and went toward the cash to pay.

* * *

"So Lexi, what do you think of Logan?" Hermione asked Lexi as they Apparated onto the Weasley's backyard.

Lexi shrugged, walking in front of Hermione. "He's alright."

Hermione opened the door to the living room and walked in with Lexi. "He seemed to take a fancy to you." She said smiling. Lexi blushed.

"Who's taking a fancy to Lexi now?" Ron asked emerging from the kitchen, a piece of bread in his hand a huge chunk bitten out of it already and Harry coming up behind him. He didn't have his usual smile that he did when he saw Lexi.

"No one." Lexi said quickly looking down at the wooden floors.

"My friend Logan." Hermione singsonged with a grin.

Ron smiled as well, which looked disgusting considering he had a mouthful of bread in it. "Ou, Harry you might have competition" He said nudging Harry in his side.

Lexi turned red and walked upstairs to place her new clothes and books in her room. She took out '_101 Tips to a Happy Relationship'_ and put it under her pillow intending to accidentally leave it there when they leave.

Someone knocked on her door a couple of minutes later. "Come in!" Lexi yelled as she lay down on her bed. The door opened and Harry walked inside. "Hey Harry!" She said happily and patted a spot next to her for him to sit.

Harry sat down on her bed and looked down at her. "So I have competition?" He said smirking.

Lexi rolled her eyes at him. "Oh come off it. Harry, there might be, most likely something between us, but we have chosen to ignore it because of the state of things, I'm not just going to go off and date someone else for the hell of it." She said taking off a stray string from her shirt.

Harry nodded, though clearly not understanding. "Harry, after all is said and done we might be able to...experiment with a relationship a little more, but not everything is over yet, as we all well know. We are friends." Lexi said, trying to make him understand.

Harry nodded again; he looked like he understood better. "We are friends, and if neither of us dies, we could be more. Is that what you're saying?"

Lexi nodded, and then was taken back, she hadn't considered the high possibility they might die, and she knew they could, but she had never really given it to much think. She couldn't imagine life without all the headaches and confusion and happiness and completeness Harry gave her.

Harry got up and left the room, giving a small wave to Lexi. She smiled and as soon as he was gone pulled out the book from under her pillow and began to read.

* * *

Around three o'clock the following afternoon Lexi stood with Harry, Ron, Fred and George outside the great white marquee outside the orchard waiting for weeding guests to arrive. Harry had taken a large dose of Polyjuice Potion and became a redheaded Muggle boy from the local village; Fred had stolen from hairs using a Summoning Charm. The plan was to introduce Harry as 'Cousin Barney', Lexi giggled at the name 'Barney' because it reminded her of the purple dinosaur for little kids.

All five of them were holding seating plans, so that they could help show people to their seats one they've arrived. A host of white-robed waiters had arrived about an hour early, along with a gold jacketed band.

"When I get married," said Fred, tugging at the collar of his dress robe. "I won't be bothering with all this non-sense. You can all wear what you like and I'll put a Body-Bind spell on Mum until it's over."

"She wasn't that bad this morning." Said George. "But she only cried a little because Percy wasn't here, but who would want him here anyways?"

"Oh fuck, there here." Lexi complained as brightly coloured figures began to appear at the same time and began making their way towards the five of them.

"I think I see some Veela cousins." Said George craning his neck trying to make himself look better. "They'll probably need help understanding our English customs; I'll look after them..."

"Not so fast, Lugless" said Fred, as he darted past the group of middle-aged witches heading toward the procession. "Here—_pertemettez-moi _to _assiter vous." _He said to a pair of pretty French girls, who giggled and let him escort them to their seats. George was looked disappointed as he was left to deal with the middle-aged witches and Ron took care of Ministry colleague leaving Lexi and Harry to deal with a deaf old couple, since they were the only people left to escort and Lexi was not going to stand outside waiting for how much longer until someone else comes.

"Wotcher." Said a voice as Lexi and Harry came out of the marquee again, laughing. Tonks and Lupin were standing outside; Tonks' hair had turned blonde for the occasion. Tonks smiled at the sight of the two and walked over to them, Lupin trailing behind. "Arthur told us you were the one with the curly hair, and Lexi you look wonderful! Sorry about last night. Ministry has been very anti-werewolf lately and we thought our presence might not do you any favours." She whispered as Harry and Lexi showed them to their seats.

"It's fine, I understand." Harry said.

Lupin gave Harry a swift smile then his face fell, back down to misery. Lexi wanted to know what was happening but she knew now wasn't the time, besides Hagrid was causing a commotion. He accidentally sat down on a bunch of chairs instead of his magically enchanted one, causing them to snap like twigs. He apologized to anyone who would listen to him, while Mr. Weasley repaired the damage. Lexi watched as the pile of broken chairs turned back into their original state until Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the entrance.

Ron was standing outside with a most eccentric-looking man. He was slightly cross-eyed and had white shoulder length hair. His dress robes were almost neon-yellow looking and an odd symbol it looked like a triangular eye as it dangled down from the chain around his neck.

"Xenophilius Lovegood." The man said extending out a hand to Ron.


	5. We All Fall Down

****

A/N: Sorry, I haven't updated in awhile. Been busy with school. I'm about to start writting I Bloody Love Ginny again, so stay tuned for that.

**Oh, and Skins is a british show, for the one who asked.**

* * *

"Xenophilius Lovegood." The man said extending his hand out to Harry and Lexi. "My daughter and I live just over the hill over there." He pointed outward but his eyes locked on them. "So kind of the good Weasley's to invite us. But I think you know my Luna?" He added to Ron and Lexi.

"Yes, we do know her." Lexi added, giving the man a warm smile.

"Isn't she with you?" Ron asked in a very curious tone.

"Oh, dear Luna just wandered into that little garden of yours to say hello to the gnomes, such a glorious infestation! How few wizards realise how much we can learn from the wise little gnomes – or, to give them their correct name, _the Gernumbli gardensi." _

"Ours do know a lot of excellent swear words," said Ron. "But I suppose Fred and George taught them that." He then led a bunch of warlocks, into the marquee as Luna rushed up.

"Hello Harry, Lexi!" Luna said in her dreamy tone.

"Hello Luna." Lexi said smiling at the girl.

"Uhm, Luna its Barry not Harry." Harry said, flummoxed

"You've changed that as well."

"How did you –?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.

"Just by your expression." Luna said

Like her father, Luna was wearing bright yellow which she accessorised with a big sunflower in her hair. After you got over how bright her dress was, she looked very pretty in it. And no radishes were hanging from her ears.

Xenophilius was in conversation with a fellow guest, and did not notice the exchange between Harry and Luna. Once finishing his conversation he turned to Luna who held up her index finger.

"Daddy, look—one of the gnomes actually bit me!"

"Oh, how wonderful! Gnome saliva id enormously beneficial!" exclaimed Luna's father, seizing Luna's outstretched finger and examining her bleeding wound. "Luna, my love, if you should feel any burgeoning talent today – perhaps any unexpected urge to sing opera or to declaim in Mermish, do not depress it! You have been gifted by the _Gernumblies_!"

Lexi bit down on her lip to let out a small laugh, but she thought it would be quite rude too. Ron, who was passing by to the other direction had no problem to be rude as he snorted loudly.

"Ron, can laugh." Luna said, as Lexi walked beside her. Harry leading Xenophilius and Luna to their seats. "But my father has done a lot o research on their magic."

"Oh really?" Lexi said she had learned just as everyone else had not to question Mr. Lovegood's peculiar views of magic. "Are you sure you don't want anything to help that bite, Luna?"

"It's fine." Luna said, sucking her finger in a dreamy way, she looked at Harry up and down, doing the same to Lexi. "You looked very beautiful in your yellow dress Lexi. And Harry you look very smart. I told Daddy most people would be wearing dress robes but he believes you ought to wear sun colours to a wedding, for luck, you know." Luna then drifted away after her father.

Ron reappeared though, an elderly woman clutching to his arm. She was wearing a big pink hat that made her look like an angry flamingo.

"Your hair is much too long, Ronald. For a moment I thought you were Ginevra. Oh, goodness look at what Xenophilius is wearing. He looks like an omelette. And who are you?" The woman barked at Lexi and Harry.

"Oh yeah, Aunt Muriel this is our Cousin Barney and my friend Lexi."

"Another Weasley? You breed like gnomes." Said Aunt Muriel, her eyes then look to Lexi. "Ah, is this Harry Potter's girlfriend I hear about? Dear, you're wearing too much eye make-up, you look like a raccoon and you're very skinny." Aunt Muriel looked at Lexi up and down then turned back to Ron. "Anyways, isn't Harry Potter supposed to be here, Ronald? I was hoping to meet him. I thought he was a friend of yours, Ronald, or have you been merely boasting?"

"No—he couldn't make it—"

"Hmm. Made an excuse did he? Not as gormless as he looks in press photos. I've been instructing the bride on how to wear my tiara best." She shouted to Lexi. "Goblin-made, you know, been in the family for centuries. She's a good-looking girl, but still—_French._ Well, well find me a good seat, Ronald I'm a hundred and seven I ought not to be on my feet to long."

Ron gave Lexi and Harry a meaningful look as he passed by. "I don't look like a raccoon to I, Barney?" Lexi said looking a little worried.

Harry shook his head. "No, no. You looked wonderful, the make-up suites you in a way."

Lexi smiled at him and wrapped him in a one armed hug. "Thanks."

Ron didn't return for quite some time. When Ron finally did show up, Harry and Lexi had shown about a dozen people to their seats. The marquee was nearly full by now.

"Nightmare Muriel is." Ron said, mopping his forehead with his sleeve. "She used to come for Christmas every year, then, thank God she took offence because Fred and George set off a Dungbomb under her chair during dinner..._wow_." he added blinking rapidly as Hermione came hurrying over to them. "You look great!"

"Always the tone of surprise." Hermione said smiling. She was wearing a floaty, lilac-coloured dress with matching heels; her hair was sleek and shiny. "You Great Aunt Muriel doesn't agree though, I just ran into her upstairs while she was giving Fleur her tiara. She said "Oh dear, is this the Muggle-born?" and then "bad posture and skinny ankles.""

"Don't take it personal, she's rude to everyone." Said Ron.

Lexi nodded. "Yeah, I met her she said "You're Harry Potter's girlfriend right?" then "Too much eye make-up, look like a raccoon and very skinny.""

Hermione smiled a bit. "But you look fine. You're not wearing that much eye make-up."

Lexi laughed. "This sort of reminds me of the Yule Ball."

Ron nodded. "Yeah, and Hermione went with Krum." He said Viktor's name like it was almost venom.

Hermione blushed a bit, and bit her lip. "Yeah, and Harry and Lexi went together because Cho said no."

Lexi smiled at the memory, remembering Harry and her dancing with the rest of the Champions. Before anyone could say anything Fred and George appeared on either side of Lexi. "Talking about Muriel and the Yule Ball, I hear? She said one of my ears is lopsided. Old bat, I wish Uncle Bilius was still with us though; he was a right laugh at weddings." Said George.

"Wasn't he the one who saw the Grim?" asked Hermione.

"Well yeah, he went a bit odd towards the end." Said Fred.

"But before he went loopy he was the life and soul of parties." George said, smiling. "Used to down a whole bottle of Firewhiskey, the run on to the dance floor hoist up his robes and start pulling bunches of flowers out of his—"

"He sounds like a real charmer." Said Hermione as Harry roared with laughter.

"I could go for a Firewhiskey." Said Lexi moving hair out of her face.

Fred smiled and ruffled her hair. "Now don't go getting drunk on us Lexi. Who knows what we'll do."

Lexi rolled her eyes and smacked Fred in his head. "You messed up my hair, fix it." She said pointing toward her messed up blonde hair. Fred chuckled and as he was trying to fix Lexi's hair he ended up tangling it instead. Probably did it on purpose. "FRED!" Lexi screamed as she lunged at him.

Hermione grabbed Lexi by the waist as Fred jumped backwards into George. Hermione began fixing Lexi's hair as she glared at Fred. "Thanks for fixing it Hermione." Lexi said once she had finished.

"Anyways, you know Uncle Bilius never married for some reason." Said Ron.

"You amaze me sometimes." Said Hermione, shaking her head.

They were all laughing so much that none of them noticed the two latecomers, two dark haired young men, one with a large curved nose and thick, black eyebrows. The other had sea-green eyes and looked almost like Harry, but much better looking in ways. The two were not noticed until they held out their invites to Harry and Ron.

"Hermione, you look vunderful."

"Same goes for you Lexi."

"Viktor!" Hermione shrieked, and dropped her small beaded bag.

"Hey, Logan!" Lexi said smiling as Hermione scrambled to pick up her bag.

"I didn't know—goodness—how are you?" Hermione asked to Krum as the boys looked from the new comers to the girls.

Ron's ears had gone bright red as he looked down at the invitation he said much too loudly. "How come you are here?"

"Fleur invited me." Krum said to Ron his eyebrows raised.

Harry, who had no grudge against Krum, shook his hand; then feeling as feeling that it would be prudent to remove him from Ron's vicinity, offered to show him to his seat.

While Harry went off with Viktor, Lexi and Logan were deep in conversation. "Why are you here?" she asked, curiously.

"I was a friend of Bill's before he graduated." Logan explained. "I heard Harry is supposed to be here. Yet, I don't see him." He said looking around.

"Oh," Lexi said trying to think of a lie. "Harry's busy. You know some noble Wizarding World stuff. Couldn't make it." She said quickly, that Logan hardly caught a word she said. Logan nodded his head, and put his hands in his pocket.

"I'll show you to your seat, Logan." Said Fred. Logan smiled at Lexi before he walked off with Fred and George to his seat.

"Who's he?" asked Ron, him and Hermione now standing beside her.

"Uhm—Logan, Hermione's friend."

* * *

The wedding went by smoothly. Afterward, people began to dance together. Lexi danced with Fred for awhile, she laughed through the whole thing considering Fred constantly joked about something or someone. She was even happy to see Hermione and Ron dancing together, looking like a real couple. It was a delightful sight the wedding.

Once Fred and Lexi finished dancing she sat with Harry and Viktor who were in conversation about something.

"Hello, Lexi." Said Viktor, politely. "You still seeing Potter?" he asked.

Lexi cracked a little smile. She had been getting that a lot tonight. "No, we're not together." Lexi said looking at Harry then back at Viktor.

"Oh, are you seeing anybody?"

Lexi opened her mouth to answer but Harry answered before her. "Yes, she is. Jealous type. Big bloke. Wouldn't want to cross him."

Lexi giggled, sensing Harry's sudden jealous-ness. Krum grunted. "Vot," he said, draining his goblet and getting to his feet. "Is the point of being an international Quidditch player if all the good-looking girls are taken?" And then he strode off.

Lexi looked over at Harry and leaned back in her chair. "Jealous much?"

Harry shook his head. "You wouldn't want to date him, anyways. He was going to ask you out."

Lexi laughed. "Ok, whatever. So, since when am I seeing someone?" She asked taking a sip from her own goblet.

Harry shrugged. "I just said that."

"Hey, Lexi and...?" said Logan taking a Viktor's old seat.

"Barney." Said Harry, not looking so cheerful now.

"Nice too meet you I'm Logan." He said extending his hand out to Harry. Harry hesitated but he shook Logan hand, fakely smiling at him.

Logan smiled back at Harry then turned back to Lexi. "Would you like to dance?" He asked her.

Lexi looked at him, eye widened a bit. Harry was glaring at Logan, with almost as much intensity he does with Malfoy. "N—"Harry started to say but Lexi cut him off.

"Yeah, sure." She said smiling.

Logan smiled at Lexi, as he took her hand leading her towards the dance floor. They found a spot near the middle and Logan rested his hands on her hips and Lexi rested her own hands on his shoulders.

"You look lovely." Logan said to her.

Lexi blushed and smiled. "Thanks, you don't look to bad yourself."

Logan and Lexi danced around happily through the dance floors, Harry giving a glare or two once they came into his view. He didn't like Logan; he seemed...twat – like to him. Hermione and Ron danced next to Logan and Lexi, probably sharing jokes since he could Lexi's laugh.

Then, it had to end.

Everyone shrieked as a Patronus suddenly appeared, backing away from it as though afraid it would hurt them. Then Lexi heard Kingsley's voice from the Patronus, and when she heard what he had to say, she actually felt her heart stop.

_"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They're coming!"_


	6. A Place To Hide

Everything seemed fuzzy, slow. Harry and Hermione jumped to their feet and drew their wands. Many people were just realizing that something strange had happened. Heads were still turning toward the silver cat as it vanished. Silence spread outward in cold ripples from the place where the Patronus had landed. Then somebody screamed.

Harry and Hermione threw themselves into the panicking crowd. Guests were sprinting in all directions. Many were Disapparating. One thing above all had become alarmingly clear: the protective enchantments around the Burrow had been broken.

"Ron!" Hermione cried in panic. "Ron, where are you? Answer me!"

As they pushed their way across the dance floor, Lexi saw cloaked and masked figures appearing in the crowd. The Death Eaters were at the Burrow! Lexi suddenly felt panic rise in her as she saw the Death Eaters spreading out in either direction.

Tonks and Lupin had raised their wands and had shouted _'Protego'_ and many others followed their lead. Soon the cry echoed in every direction.

"Ron! Lexi!" Lexi heard Hermione call, sounding as if she was sobbing. Lexi turned around frantically looking for Hermione, Harry or Ron. Logan who she had forgotten was next to her still firmly put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her down towards the ground as a light whizzed past them.

When Lexi was back up, Logan was gripping her hand—then Ron was there. Lexi removed her hand from Logan's grip causing him to look over to her and she began to run towards him without any reason why to him. She managed to dodge a couple of spells before she finally got hold of Ron's hand who had now grabbed onto Hermione's free arm.

Hermione turned on the spot instantly once they had all grabbed onto each other. Then sight and sound were suddenly extinguished as darkness pressed in upon her. All she could feel was Ron's hand as she was squeezed through space and time, away from the Burrow, away from the descending Death Eaters, away from everyone, and away, perhaps, from Voldemort himself...

"Where are we?" Ron asked in a shaky voice.

Lexi opened her eyes. She looked around, they were surrounded by people, and she only recognized Hermione, Ron and Harry. The rest were Muggles.

"Tottenham Court Road." Hermione panted. "Walk. Just walk, we need to find a place to change."

They did as Hermione said. Half-ran, half-walked up the dark street, thronged with late-night revellers lined with closed shops. The stars twinkled above them, the moon dazzling as well. A double-decker bus rumbled by and a group of merry pub-goers ogled them as they passed. Harry and Ron were still wearing dress robes, and Lexi and Hermione were still wearing their dresses. They stuck out like sore thumbs, and needed to get somewhere where they weren't so conspicuous.

"Hermione, we've got nothing to change into." Ron said as a young woman burst into a fit of giggles at the sight of him in his robes.

"Why didn't I bring my Invisibility Cloak with me?" Harry said to himself, as he cursed for his own stupidity. "I had it with me all last year."

Lexi slapped his shoulder. "Stop it. Don't blame yourself."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, Harry. I have it with me, no need to have a fit. I've also got clothes for all of us." She said reassuringly. "Just try and act naturally until—this will do." Hermione led them down a side street, then into the shelter of a shadowy alleyway.

"When you say that you've got the Cloak, and that we've all got clothes..." Harry said looking uncertainly at Hermione, whom only had her handbag on her, which was too small to hold anything of real substance. Hermione was now shuffling inside of hers.

"Yes, there here." Hermione said and to Harry, Lexi, and Ron's utter surprise she had pulled out two pairs of jeans, two sweatshirts, socks, and finally the silvery Cloak.

"How the ruddy hell -?"

"Undetectable Extension Charm," said Hermione with a proud smile. "Tricky, but I think I've done it okay. Anyway, I managed to fit everything we need in here." She continued to mess around inside of the bag, muttering to herself.

"When did you do all of this?" Harry asked as he held up the Invisibility Cloak between himself and Ron, so that Hermione couldn't see as Ron changed into more comfortable clothes.

"I told you at the Burrow that I've had the essentials packed for days, you know, in case we needed to make a quick getaway," Hermione explained, her eyes still focused on the bag. "I packed your rucksack this morning, Harry, after you changed, and I put it in here. I just had a feeling..."

"You're amazing, you are," Ron said as he stepped out from behind the Cloak, changed and with his robes in his hands. He handed them over to her.

"Thank you," Hermione said, taking the clothes and shoving them into her bag. "Your turn, Harry."

Ron gave the Cloak to Harry who wrapped it around his shoulder and pulled it over his head to change. Hermione and Lexi did the same but went deeper into the alley. When the girls came back, Lexi saw that panic had now appeared onto Harry's face.

"But everyone at the wedding!" He suddenly exclaimed.

"We can't go back." Said Lexi quietly. "They'll be overrunning the area. There on their own."

"Yeah, we can't worry about that now." Hermione whispered. "They're after you, Harry. If we go back then we'll put everyone in more danger."

"They're right, mate." Ron said, before Harry could even protest or argue. "Plus a bunch of the Order was there. They'll make sure everyone will get out safe."

"Alright." Harry said with a nod, looking sadly at the ground.

"Come on, I think we ought to keep moving." Said Hermione. Once again, they were on the sidewalk and on the main road, where on the other side of the road a group of men were singing and talking rather loudly._ Probably drunk_, Lexi thought.

"Might I ask why you chose Tottenham Court Road?" Ron asked Hermione.

"I have no idea," Hermione said honestly walking ahead of Ron. "It was popped into my head. We're much safer in the Muggle world anyways. They'll never expect us to be here."

"True." Said Lexi, walking beside Hermione.

"But don't you feel a bit—exposed?" asked Ron again.

"Where else it there?" Lexi asked, cringing as the men across the street began wolf-whistling her and Hermione. "We can hardly even book rooms at the Leaky Cauldron. And Grimmuald Place is out of the question if Snape can get in there..."

"I suppose," said Hermione, trying to ignore the men. "We could try my parents' house, though I think there's a chance they might check there."

"Oh, will they shut up!" Lexi exclaimed, glaring across the street.

"Alright there, darlings?" yelled the drunkest of the men from the other side of the pavement to Hermione and Lexi. Lexi rolled her eyes. "Fancy a drink? Ditch ginger and four-eyes and come and have a pint!"

"Fuck off!" Lexi yelled back.

"Let's sit down somewhere." Hermione said hastily as she grabbed Lexi's and Ron's arm to stop them from yelling back. "Look, this will do in here!" Hermione pointed down to the street.

Lexi looked to where she was pointing; it was a small and shabby looking all-night cafe. A light layer on the formica-topped tables, but it was empty. Harry slid into the first booth and Ron sat next to him. Hermione sat in front of Ron and Lexi in front of Harry. Hermione frequently looked over her shoulder; Lexi had smacked her in the shoulder to stop her since she had seemed to have a twitch.

After about a minute or two Ron piped up. "The Leaky Cauldron isn't too far from here, it's only in Charing Cross—"

Lexi looked at Ron narrowly. "Ron, we can't!" She said at once.

"Not to stay there! To know what going on."

"We know what's going on! Voldemort's taken over the Ministry, what the fuck else do we need to know?" Lexi said in an irritated tone.

"Ok, ok. I was just suggesting."

Then the four went back to silence. A stick thin, gum chewing waitress in her about mid-20s came shuffling over and Hermione ordered four cappuccinos. A pair of burly workmen entered the cafe and squeezed into the next booth. Hermione dropped her voice to a whisper.

"I say we find a quiet place to Disapparate and head for the country side. Once we're there, we could send a message to the Order." She said

"Can we do one of those talking Patronus things?" asked Ron.

Hermione nodded. "I've been working on it and I think we can."

The waitress came back with a tray full of cappuccinos. She placed one in front of the four of them, placing the bill with them as well. Lexi grabbed the cup with one of her hands, and sipped from it.

"Well, as long as it doesn't get them in trouble, though they might've been arrested already. God, that's revolting." added Ron, after one sip of the foamy grey-ish coffee. The waitress had heard Ron's comment and shot him a nasty look as she shuffled off to take the new customer's orders.

"Let's get going then, I don't want to drink this muck." Said Ron. "Lexi, Hermione does one of you have got some Muggle money to pay for this?"

Lexi shook her head as she took another sip from her own cup of the drink. She looked at Hermione, who said "Yes, I took out all my building society savings before I came to the Burrow. I'll bet all the change is at the bottom." She said reaching for her beaded bag.

Lexi looked over at the workmen who had identical movement; she looked at her friends to see Harry mirroring their motions. At the same time all three of them drew their wands. Lexi eyes widened as she took out her own wand from her side pocket, which had been poking her the whole time. Ron, a few seconds late in realising what was happening, lunged across the table, pushing Hermione on the side of the force of the Death Eaters' spells shattered the tile walls, where Ron's had just been as Harry yelled '_Stupefy!_'

The largest one, blonde got hit by Harry's spell right in the face as he slumped sideways unconscious. His companion fired another spell, directed at Ron: shining black roped flew from the tips of his hand, bounding Ron head to toe in them. The waitress screamed and headed towards the door – as Lexi and Hermione got up from the bench and Lexi sent a Stunning Spell but missed, hitting a window then hitting the waitress who collapsed in front of the door.

"_Expulso!_" bellowed the Death Eater, and the table which Harry had been standing on blew up: the force of the explosion caused him to slam against the wall, causing his wand to leave his hand.

"Harry!" Lexi screamed.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _screamed Hermione from out of sight and the Death Eater fell forwards like a statue to land with a crunching thud on the mess of broken china. Hermione crawled out from beneath the bench, shaking bits of glass out of her hair and trembling all over.

"_D-Diffindo,"_ she said, pointer her wand at Ron, who roared out in pain as she slashed open his knee, leaving a deep cut. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Ron, my hands are shaking! _Diffindo_!"

The ropes severed and fell away. Ron stood up, shaking his arms to regain strength and blood flow. Lexi walked over to the blonde, unconscious Death Eater. She pointed her wand at him and looked at her friends. "Can I kill him?" She asked, through gritted teeth. No one answred her.

Harry walked over past her and over to the darker Death Eater. "I should have recognised him. He was there when Dumbledore was killed." He said. He turned him over with his foot; the man's eyes moved rapidly from Hermione, to Ron, to Harry, and to Lexi whose wand was pointing at the blonde Death Eater but her attention on Harry.

"That's Dolohov." Said Ron. "I recognise him from the old wanted posters. I think the other one is Thorfinn Rowle."

"I repeat can I kill him?" Lexi said again rather loudly.

"No!" Hermione said hysterically. "And who cares what they're called! How did they find us? What are we going to do?"

Lexi lowered her wand and walked away from Rowle, now standing in between Hermione and Ron and Harry. Harry turned away from Dolohov and looked at his friends.

"Lock the door," he ordered. "And Ron, turn off the lights."

Hermione and Ron did as Harry said, Lexi just stood there like a statue. Her eyes were glued on the Death Eater; she wanted to know the same Hermione. How did they find them?

"What are we going to do with them?" Ron said quietly. "Can we do what Lexi suggested? Kill them. They'd kill us. They had a good go just now."

Hermione shuddered and took a step back, now standing beside Lexi. Harry shook his head. "We just need to wipe their memories." Said Harry. "It's better like that; it'll throw them off our scent. If we killed them, it'd be obvious we were here."

"Or we could dispose of their bodies once they're killed." Lexi muttered to herself.

"You're the boss." Said Ron, rather relieved. "But, I've never done a Memory Charm before."

"Nor have I."

Harry turned to Lexi, who had hardly said anything, which was rather strange for her since she isn't very quiet. Lexi looked at Harry dead in the eye. "I haven't done a Memory Charm, but I know the theory." She said.

Harry gestured for her to go ahead with the spell. Lexi took a deep breath, pointing her wand at Dolohov's forehead. "_Obliviate."_

At once Dolohov's eyes became unfocused and dreamy.

"Brilliant!" said Harry, clapping her on the back. "Take care of the waitress and the other one while Ron and I clean up."

"Clear up?" Ron asked, partly looking around the destroyed cafe.

"Don't you think they might wonder what's happened if they wake up and find themselves in a place that looks like it's just been bombed?"

"Oh, yeah...right." Ron struggled for a moment before he finally got his wand out from his jean pocket. "It's no wonder I can't get it out, Hermione, you packed my old jeans these are too tight."

"Oh, I'm _so _sorry." Hermione hissed as her and Lexi dragged the waitress away from the windows. Lexi chuckled as Hermione muttered a suggestion where Ron should put his wand instead.

When the cafe was in its original state, Harry and Ron heaved the Death Eaters back onto their booth, facing each other.

"But how on earth did they find us?" Lexi asked. "How did they know where we were?"

Hermione turned to Harry. "You—you don't think you still got the trace on you, do you Harry?"

"He can't have." Said Ron. "The Trace breaks when you're seventeen. That's Wizarding law; you can't put it on an adult."

"That's as far as you know." Said Lexi, crossing her arms across her chest. "What if the Death Eaters found a way to put it on a seventeen year old?"

"But Harry hasn't been near a Death Eater in the last twenty four hours. Who's supposed to put the Trace on him?"

Lexi didn't reply to Ron. She thought about other possibilities of how the Death Eaters could have found Harry, found all of them.

"If I can't use magic and you can't use magic around me, without giving away out position..." Harry began.

"We're not splitting up!" Hermione said firmly.

"We need a place to hide." Said Lexi, her eyes shifting from Hermione, to Ron, to Harry. "Give us time to think things through."

"Grimmuald Place." Said Harry.


	7. Grimmuald Place

Hermione and Ron gaped at Harry, staring at him with horror while Lexi merely smirked. "I knew you were going to say that, but why?" She asked interested for an explanation from Harry.

But before Harry could even explain Hermione opened her mouth to say "Don't be silly, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "Snape can get in there!"

Lexi looked at Hermione. "Yeah, but didn't Ron's dad say something about putting spells on the house and all that?" She asked trying to recover her memories.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Hermione they've put jinxes up against him. And even if they haven't worked so what? I swear, I'd like nothing better than to meet Snape!" He pressed on as Hermione looked as if she was going to argue, which she obviously was knowing her.

"And besides," Lexi said backing up Harry. "Snape is only one Death Eater. If Harry does still have the stupid Trace on him then crowds of Death Eaters will be on our tail wherever we go."

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances between each other. Lexi knew that they didn't like the idea of going there, especially since they think that Snape could and will go into Grimmuald Place. When no one said anything, Harry nodded and said "It's decided then. Let's go."

Hermione unlocked the cafe door, and Ron clicked his Deluminator to release the light from it and give life back to the cafe. Then on Harry's count Lexi watched as the trio reversed their spells on their three victims before either of them could even stir. Then again on Harry's count the four turned on the spot into the compressing darkness.

Only mere seconds later, Lexi could breathe again and she opened her eyes; the four of them were standing in the small shabby square. Number twelve was visible to them, for they were told of its existence by Dumbledore, its Secret Keeper. They rushed towards the house, making sure every few yards they were not being followed.

They raced up the stone steps and Harry tapped the door with his wand. A series of clicks and chains clattering as the door finally swung open with a creak revealing the hallway of Number Twelve Grimmuald Place and they hurried towards the threshold.

Harry closed the door behind them, as Lexi watched as the old gas lamps sprung to life casting a flickering light along the hallway. It looked just as it had back in fifth-year, it was still eerie, cobwebbed, and the old house elves head on the walls. The long black velvet curtains that covered Sirius' mothers' portrait. The only thing that wasn't in its right place was the umbrella stand it was lying on the ground. Lexi smiled as she remembered how many times Tonks tripped over it and got pissed off.

"I think someone has been here." Hermione whispered pointing at the umbrella stand. Lexi's smiled faded from her face into a frown.

"That could've happened when the Order left." Lexi murmured but no heard her or they didn't both to listen.

"Where are these jinxes they put up against Snape?" Harry asked.

"Maybe they're only activated when Snape shows up." Suggested Ron as his eyes moved around. They remained on the doormat, their backs pressed against the door.

Lexi was growing tired of standing there, seeming as if she was scared, which she was but not that much. "We can't stay like this forever, backs against the walls." She said taking a step forward.

"_Severus Snape?"_

Mad-Eye Moody's voice whispered out of the darkness, causing all four of them to jump back in fright. Now, Lexi was scared. "We're not Snape!" croaked Harry as he took a step forward pushing Lexi behind him. Something whooshed over them like cold air causing Lexi to shiver and she felt her tongue curl backwards making it impossible for her to speak. Then just as it had happened so quickly Lexi's tongue unravelled again.

Lexi guessed the other three had the same experience as she heard Ron make retching noises, Harry was touching his lips as if he had been kissed; Hermione stammered "That m-must have b-been the T-Tongue Tying Curse Mad-Eye setup for Snape!"

Lexi felt as if she could move her limbs and took a step forward again, trying to be brave. She felt Harry grab her arm as she did so, stopping her but it was too late.

Something shifted in the shadows at the end of the hall, and before any of them could say another word, a figure had risen up from the carpet, it was tall, dust-coloured and horrifying: Hermione screamed and so did Mrs. Black, her curtains flying open; the grey figure was gliding towards them faster and faster, its waist-length hair and beard streaming behind it, its face sunken, fleshless, with empty eyes sockets: horribly familiar, dreadfully alerted it raised a wasted arms pointing at Harry and Lexi.

Lexi's eyes widened, Dumbledore looked so horrible like a zombie. "No!" shouted Harry as he raised his own wand put no spell came out of it. Lexi was shaking by now. "No! It wasn't us! We didn't kill you—" On the word 'kill' the figure exploded into a cloud of dust; Lexi and Harry coughed, their eyes watering. They turned around to see Hermione crouched down on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

Lexi dropped to her knees next to Hermione, her heart hammering against her rib cage from shock. She put her hands on her head and was breathing heavily now. Ron who was shaking from head to toe clumsily was patting Hermione on the shoulder saying "It's alright...it's gone..."

Dust swirled around them, catching the blue gaslight as Mrs. Black screamed on. "_Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonour, taint of shame on my fathers—"_

"SHUT UP!" Lexi bellowed as she saw Harry point his wand at the painting and with a bang and burst of red sparks the curtains swung shut silencing her.

"That...that was..." Hermione whimpered as Ron helped her up on to her feet.

"Yeah," said Harry as he helped Lexi up. "But it wasn't really him. Just something to scare Snape." He led Lexi, Hermione, and Ron up the hall, looking around from side to side to see if a new more terrifying horror would reveal itself to them. But the only thing that revealed itself was a mouse skirting across the floor boards.

"Before we go any further we'd better check." Whispered Hermione and she raised her wand and said "_Homenum revlio."_

Nothing happened.

"Well, you've just had a big shock." Said Ron kindly. "What was that even supposed to do?"

"It did what I meant it to do!" Hermione snapped. "That was a spell to reveal human presence and there is nobody here but us!"

"And old Dusty." Said Ron looking down at the carpet which the corpse-figure had risen from.

"Let's go up." Said Lexi looking down at the same spot that and then she led her friends up that stairs to the drawing room on the first floor. Hermione waved her wand to ignite the gas lamps. She shivered and walked over to the sofa, plopping down on it her arms wrapped tightly around her. Ron walked across to the windows opening up the velvet curtain an inch.

"There is no one out there." He reported. "You'd think if you still had the Trace on you, Harry, they would have followed us here. Do you think they can see the house—what's up Harry?"

Lexi's eyes widened and she jumped back as Harry let out a painful cry beside her. Once Harry stopped Lexi walked back over to him, placing her right hand on his shoulder. "What did you see?" She asked.

"Were they at my place?" Ron asked, advancing on Lexi and Harry.

"No—I just felt anger—he's really angry—"

"But that could be at The Burrow!" Ron said loudly. "What else? Didn't you see anything? Was he cursing someone?"

"Easy on the questions Ron." Lexi said but Ron ignored her.

"Well?" He asked Harry again.

"No, I just felt anger—I couldn't tell—"

"Your scar again?" Hermione piped up in a frightened voice from the sofa. "But what's going on? I thought the connection was closed!"

"It did for a while." Harry muttered. "I—I think it started opening again whenever he loses control that's how it used to—"

"Then close it again!" said Hermione shrilly. "Harry, Dumbledore wanted you to close the connection. He wanted it shut down, which is why you were supposed to learn and use Occlumency! Otherwise Voldemort can plant false images in your mind, remember—"

"Yeah, I do remember. Thanks for the reminder Hermione." Harry said though gritted teeth.

Lexi looked at Harry; she could tell he was thinking about how Voldemort planted the false image of Sirius being tortured which led to his death. He then turned his back to her, Ron, and Hermione examining or pretending to examine the Black family tapestry.

Hermione then shrieked. Lexi looked at Hermione, and then her eyes noticed it. A silver Patronus had soared into the drawing room's window and landed on the floor, floating only a couple of centimetres from the floor. It solidified into a weasel and it spoke with Ron's fathers voice.

"_Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched."_

The Patronus dissolved into nothing. Ron let out what seemed it be in between a whimper and a groan as he dropped onto the sofa next to Hermione.

"They're alright! They're alright!" She whispered, hugging him.

"Harry," Ron said over Hermione's shoulder. "I—"

"It's not a problem," said Harry. "It's your family; of course you'd feel worried. I'd feel the same way." He paused for a moment. "I _do_ feel the same way."

Silence fell upon them as Lexi's eyes shifted from Harry to Ron and Hermione. Her arms were crossed over to chest as she stood in the middle of her friends. Finally Hermione said something.

"Could we use the sleeping bags I brought and sleep in here tonight?" She asked.

Ron agreed. Lexi said nothing but her friends would know it meant yes. Harry didn't answer at all, Lexi saw his lips move but she didn't hear anything come out of it then he left the room.

"What did he say?" Lexi asked, turned her head away from the door and towards Ron and Hermione.

"He said he's going to the bathroom." Ron said as he and Hermione held onto each other's arms. They looked like a real couple.

"Alright." Lexi said looking down at the floor. "I'm going to walk around the house, alright?" She said and her friend nodded. Lexi walked out of the drawing room and down the hall, looking up at the old house elves head's hanging over her own head.

She stopped to look at one of the heads. The house elves eyes were closed, its grey skin wrinkled from old age and it bat ears flopped down like a dogs. Lexi got a shiver down her spine as she imagined someone cutting off its head. She was about to examine the one next to it when she heard a loud thud.

Lexi whirled around and looked up and down the hall but there was nothing. She walked back peered into the drawing room to see the Hermione and Ron were fine. "Did you guys hear a thud?" She asked.

They shook their heads. "No. What thud, Lex?" Hermione asked, getting up of the couch.

"I was in the hall looking at the heads then I heard a thud—Harry!" She said her eyes widening. Hermione's eyes widened as well as the two girls took off to the bathroom leaving Ron behind.

Lexi knocked on the door. "Harry! Are you alright? We heard a thud." She yelled.

"I—I'm alright." Harry said trying to keep his voice casual and he opened the door.

"You sure?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry with worry.

He nodded. "I'm fine." He assured them.

Lexi nodded her head, folding her arms across her chest. "Ok." She said not convinced at all. _He's hiding something, _a voice said in the back of her mind.


	8. Make Connections

**A/N: Hey guys, here is another chapter. I hope you guys like it, and a shout-out to mrs0cullen for helping me out since Broken, and she still is in some chapter of the story. **

**So, thank you for reading, and thank you mrs0cullen.**

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* * *

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Harry woke up early next morning, wrapped up in his sleeping bag on the drawing rooms floor. A chink of sky was visible between the heavy curtains. It was the cool, clear blue of watered ink, somewhere between night and dawn, and everything was quiet, except for the slow, deep breathing of Ron and Hermione while they continued to sleep. Ron had a fit insisting that Hermione should sleep on the couch; her fingers were inches away from Ron's. Harry was wondering if his two friends had fallen asleep holding hands.

Harry turned to the other side to see Lexi, but when he did look Lexi was not there. Her sleeping bag looked as if it had not even been slept in. Suddenly concern washed over him as he wanted to make sure she was safe. Quickly Harry threw on new clothes and his shoes and quietly but quickly walked out of the room to search the house for her.

Finally, Harry found her in Sirius' old bedroom. The room was very spacious and once must have been very handsome looking. There was a large bed with a carved wooden headboard, a tall window obscured by long velvet curtains and a chandelier thickly covered with dust. Harry's eyes fell back onto the bed where he saw Lexi sitting on it. She was looking at the walls, that Sirius had covered with several faded Gryffindor banners, Muggle girls in bikinis, motorcycles, and a picture of the Marauders.

"There you are." Harry said, relieved he had finally found her. "How long have you been here?" He asked, taking a few steps forwards.

"About an hour. Stayed up all night." She said. Harry noticed there was a crumpled piece of parchment in her hand.

"What's that?" He asked, nodding his head at the parchment.

"Letter for Sirius from your Mother." She said, as she began to smooth it out then handed it to him. "I don't know where the other half is though."

Harry took the letter from her and smoothed it out some more. Then he read it aloud for him and Lexi to hear.

_Dear Padfoot,_

_Thank you, thank you for Harry's birthday present! It was his favourite by far..._

* * *

Lexi lost attention in the letter since she had already read it over and over; instead she decided to look around Sirius' already searched through room. Lexi seized papers from the floor and looked through them to see if she could find anything important or at least the other half the letter.

_Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there)..._

Lexi looked under the wardrobe to find a piece of paper lying face down. She stretched her arm underneath it and with the tips of her fingers she managed to pull it out. Lexi picked it up and flipped it over. It was a photograph, most likely the one mentioned in Lily Potter's letter.

A jet-black haired baby boy was zooming in and out of the picture on a tiny broomstick, roaring with laughter as a pair of legs most likely belonging to James Potter was chasing after his little son.

_

* * *

It seems incredible that Dumbledore_

Harry finished the letter with new thoughts in his mind. Dumbledore what? What's so incredible? Harry looked at Lexi to see she had something in her hand, she was smiling. He hadn't her smile in a while, he missed it.

Harry walked over to her and looked over her shoulder to see the photograph of himself. Lexi looked away from the photo and at Harry, she smiled. "Here. It's yours now." She said in a quiet handing him the picture.

Harry smiled at her. "Thanks." He tucked the photo and letter into his pocket. "Help me look for the second half." Lexi looked at him. "I know you already looked, but once more. Please." He said.

Lexi nodded. "Of course." She said then walked off to the other side of the room to begin searching.

After about a quarter of an hour the two concluded that the second part of the letter was not there. Harry wondered if it had disappeared over the sixteen years that had passed or had Death Eaters infiltrated the place and had taken the other half? And also Dumbledore what? _It is incredible that Dumbledore—_what?

"Stop thinking so hard. You'll give yourself a headache." Lexi said breaking him of his thoughts.

The ends of Harry's lips twitched into a smile. "But—"

"Don't start with me." She said, looking up at the ceiling.

"Harry? Lexi? Harry! Lexi!" Hermione's voice rang.

"We're in here!" Harry yelled back. "What's happened?"

There was a clatter of footsteps and Hermione burst into Sirius' room. "We woke up and the two of you weren't there. We didn't know where you were." She said breathlessly then shouted over her shoulder. "Ron, I've found them! There in here!"

"Good! Tell them from me that they're gits!"

"Harry, Lexi don't just disappear like that, please, we were terrified! Why did you even come up here anyways?" She gazed around the trashed up room. "What have you two been doing?"

"Well, I came looking for Lexi because she wasn't there when I woke up and I found her here, and she found this." Harry took out his mother's letter and handed it to Hermione. When she reached the end of the page Hermione looked at him.

"Oh, Harry..."

"And there's this too."

Harry handed her the photograph that Lexi had found. Hermione smiled as little baby Harry zoomed in and out of the picture on his toy broom.

"We've been looking for the rest of the letter." Lexi said, not looking at Hermione which Harry thought was odd. Lexi was acting odd lately, very odd.

Hermione glanced around the room. "Did you guys make all this mess or was it mostly like this when you came?" She asked turning to Lexi since she had been here first.

"It was like this when I got here." She said.

"I'd thought so. Every room I looked in was like this." Hermione said. "What do you think they were after?"

"Information on the Order if it was Snape." Scoffed Harry.

"But you'd think he'd have all the information he'd needed. I mean he was _in _the Order after all, wasn't he?" Hermione insisted.

"Yeah it does seem very unlikely of Snape to sneak into the house, get past all these charms and jinxes just to get information on a group he was already a part of." Lexi agreed sceptically.

"Well, then," Harry said, keen to discuss his theory. "What about information on Dumbledore? The second page of this letter, for instance this Bathilda my mum mentions, you know she is?"

"Who?" Lexi asked.

"Bathilda Bagshot, the author of -"

"_A History of Magic,_" Hermione said, looking interested. "So your parents knew her? She was an incredible historian."

"Yeah," Harry said with a nod. "She's still alive, lives in Godric's Hollow. Ron's Aunt Muriel was talking about her at the wedding. She knew Dumbledore's family, too. Be pretty interesting to talk to, wouldn't she?"

There was a little too much understanding in the smile that Hermione gave him for Harry's liking. He took back the letter and the photograph that went with it, and tucked them inside the pouch around his neck, so as not to have to look at her and give himself away.

"I understand why you'd love to talk to her about your parents, and Dumbledore, too," Hermione said softly. "But that wouldn't really help us in our search for the Horcruxes, would it?" Harry did not answer, and she rushed on, "Harry, I know you really want to go to Godric's Hollow, but I'm scared. I'm scared at how easily those Death Eaters found us yesterday. It just makes me feel -"

"Back off, Hermione," Lexi said in a surprisingly intense voice. When they all looked at her, Hermione seemed most surprised, and rather hurt. "There's no telling that meeting her _wouldn't_ help us find the Horcruxes, and if she might be able to help, it's worth the trip and effort. We'll have Death Eaters on our tail as long as this war is going on. We're looking to bring their world down right in front of their eyes, so you'd better be prepared to have them on your tail at all times. Or you die." She looked over at Harry and nodded to him, saying firmly, "I'll support you, Harry. You're the leader, so I'll support all of your decisions."

Harry smiled, grateful for Lexi's support. She was always there for him. And he knew that he would need it in the future.

"Whatever we do, we need to get something to eat first," Hermione said in a clearly unhappy voice. "Let's go find something for breakfast."

"Ok." Harry said with a nod.

They all walked out onto the landing and past the second door that led off of it. There were deep scratch marks in the paintwork below a small sign that Harry had not noticed in the dark. He paused at the top of the stairs and read it. It was a pompous little sign, neatly lettered by hand, the sort of thing that Percy Weasley might have stuck on his bedroom door.

_Do not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black_

"Hermione, Lexi," Harry said in a serious, tight voice.

"Yeah?' Lexi asked from where she was standing, only a few steps away. She looked back up at him in confusion and asked, "Harry? What's up?"

"Come here," Harry said.

Lexi and Hermione ran up the steps and stopped beside Harry, looking at the sign that Harry was pointing to. "Oh, my -" Lexi began, obviously understanding what Harry was seeing. She then yelled loudly, "Ron! Get up here!"

A moment later, Ron were running up the stairs. "What's the matter?" Ron asked worried.

"R.A.B.," Harry answered. "I think I've found him."

"How?" Hermione asked in confusion. "The letter? But I didn't see -" She stopped when she saw Regulus's sign. She read it, then clutched Harry's arm so tightly that he winced.

"Sirius's brother?" she gasped.

"It'd make sense," Lexi pointed out.

"He was a Death Eater," Harry agreed. "Sirius told me about him, said that he joined up when he was really young and then got cold feet and tried to leave - so they killed him."

"That fits, though!" Hermione gasped. "If he was a Death Eater he had access to Voldemort, and if he became disenchanted, then he would have wanted to bring Voldemort down!" She released Harry's arm and said, "Let's go inside."

Lexi moved forward and pointing her wand at the door. "_Alohomora,_" she said firmly. There was a click, and the door swung open just like that.

They all moved over the threshold together, gazing around. Regulus's bedroom was slightly smaller than Sirius's, though it had the same sense of former grandeur. Whereas Sirius had sought to advertise his difference from the rest of the family, Regulus had striven to emphasize the opposite. The Slytherin colours of emerald and silver were everywhere, draping the bed, the walls and the windows. The Black family crest was painstakingly painted over the bed, along with its motto:_ Toujours Pur_. Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cuttings, all stuck together to make a ragged collage. Hermione crossed the room to examine them.

"They're all about Voldemort," she observed, sounding surprised. "Regulus seems to have been interested by him for a few years before he joined the Death Eaters..."

"Bastard," Lexi said aloud as she walked around the room, looking at it with a look of disdain and disgust.

"Lex," Harry said in a warning voice.

"Don't ask me to apologize in regards to anyone who worships that monster." Lexi said bitterly.

Harry rolled his eyes, remaining silent because he happened to agree with her. Still, he wasn't going to admit it aloud.

A little puff of dust rose from the bedcovers as Hermione sat down to read the clippings. Harry meanwhile had noticed another photograph: a Hogwarts Quidditch team was smiling and waving out of the frame. He moved closer and saw the snakes emblazoned on their chests: Slytherins. Regulus was instantly recognizable as the boy sitting in the middle of the front row. He had the same dark hair and slightly haughty look of his brother, though he was smaller, slighter and rather less handsome than Sirius had been.

"He played Seeker," Harry observed.

"What?" Hermione asked vaguely, still immersed in Voldemort's press clippings.

"He's sitting in the middle of the front row. That's where the Seeker sits," Harry said and looked down at the picture frame. He set the picture frame down and saw that Ron was on his hands and knees, searching under the wardrobe. Harry looked around the room for likely hiding places and approached the desk. Yet again, somebody had searched before them. The drawers' contents had been turned over recently, the dust disturbed, but there was nothing of value there: old quills, out-of-date textbooks that bore evidence of being roughly handled, a recently smashed ink bottle, its sticky residue covering the contents of the drawer and making any information that could be found in it useless.

"There's an easier way," Hermione said, as Harry wiped his inky fingers on his jeans. She raised her wand and said, "_Accio Locket!_"

Nothing happened. Ron, who had been searching the folds of the faded curtains, looked disappointed.

"Is that it, then?" Ron asked. "It's not here?"

"The spell not working doesn't mean anything, Ron," Lexi said half-heartedly as she shuffled through the items in the closet.

"It could still be here, but under counter-enchantments," Hermione said.

"How do we find it, then?" Ron asked, sounding confused.

"The _obvious_ way," Lexi said. "We manually search for it."

* * *

They combed every inch of the room for more than an hour, but were forced, finally, to conclude that the locket was not there. The sun had risen now; its light dazzled them even through the grimy landing windows.

"It could be somewhere else in the house though," Hermione said in a rallying tone as they walked back downstairs. As Harry and Ron became more discouraged, she seemed to become more determined. Lexi still seemed absentminded. "Whether he'd managed to destroy it or not, he'd want to keep it hidden from Voldemort, wouldn't he? Remember all those awful things we had to get rid of when we were here last time? That clock that shot bolts at everyone and those old robes that tried to strangle Ron. Regulus might have put them there to protect the locket's hiding place, even though we didn't realize it at...at..."

Harry and Ron looked at each other in confusion. Hermione was standing with one foot in midair, with the dumbstruck look of one who had just been Obliviated. Her eyes had even drifted out of focus.

"...at the time," she finished in a whisper.

"Something wrong?" Ron asked, somewhat confused and worried.

"There was a locket."

"What?" Harry and Ron exclaimed together, Lexi's eyes lighting up in hope.

"In the cabinet in the drawing room. Nobody could open it. And we... we..."

Harry felt as though a brick had slid down through his chest into his stomach. He remembered: He had even handled the thing as they passed it around, each trying to turn to prise it open. It had been tossed into a sack of rubbish.

"Kreacher nicked loads of things back from us," Harry pointed out, hope rising in him. It was the only chance, the only slender hope left to them, and he was going to cling to it until forced to let go. "He had a whole stash of stuff in his cupboard in the kitchen. C'mon."

The four rushed down the steps, Harry taking two steps at a time. Lexi was ahead of them all, she was incredibly fast, by the time he, Ron, and Hermione reached the kitchen Lexi was already swinging open Kreacher's cabinet door.

Harry peered over her shoulder, to see the pile of dirty old blankets in which the house-elf had slept on, but they were no longer glittering with stolen trinkets Kreacher had salvaged. The only thing that was actually there was an old copy of some book. Refusing to believe his eyes Harry snatched up the blankets and shook them. All that came out was a dead mouse and it rolled dismally across the floor. Ron groaned as he threw himself into a kitchen chair; Hermione closed her eyes.

"It's not over yet," said Harry, and he raised his voice and said "_Kreacher_!"

There was a loud _crack _and the house-elf Harry had so reluctantly inherited from Sirius appeared out of nowhere in front of the cold and empty fireplace: tiny, half-human sized, his pale skin hanging in folds, white hair sprouting from his bat-like ears. He was still wearing the filthy rag which they'd first met him in, and the contemptuous look he bent upon Harry showed that his attitude of his change of ownership had altered no more than his outfit.

"Master," Kreacher croaked with his bullfrog voice, giving Harry a small bow. "Back in my Mistresses house with the blood traitor Weasley, William Moore's daughter, and Mudblood—"

"I forbid you to call anyone "blood traitor" or "Mudblood"," growled Harry. "I've got a question for you and I order you to answer truthfully. Understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Two years ago," Harry began. "There was a big gold locket in the drawing room. We threw it out. Did you steal it back?"

There was moment of silence until Kreacher spoke again. "Yes."

"Where is it now?"

Kreacher closed his eyes as if he could not bear to see their reactions when he answered. "Gone."

"Gone?" Lexi said, standing up. "What do you mean gone!"

"Lexi, calm down." Harry said looking at her, then back to Kreacher. "Gone, Kreacher? Where'd it go?"

The elf shivered. He swayed.

"Kreacher," Harry said fiercely. "I order you—"

"Mundungus Fletcher." Croaked the elf, eyes shut tight.


	9. Acting like a Coward

"Mundungus Fletcher." Kreacher croaked his eyes still shut. "Mundugus Fletcher stole it all: Miss Bella and Miss Cissy's pictures, my mistresses gloves, Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest on it, and-and—"

Kreacher was gulping for air; his tiny chest heaving up and down rapidly, then his eyes flew open and he let out a blood-curdling scream.

"—_and the locket Master Regulus' locket, Kreacher did very wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!"_

Kreacher made a lunge the poker standing in the grate; Harry launched himself upon the elf flattening him. Hermione's scream was mingled with Kreacher's, but Harry bellowed louder than them both: "Kreacher, I order you stay still!"

The elf froze and Harry released him. Kreacher lay flat on the floor, tear gushing from his sagging eyes.

"Harry, let him up!" Hermione whispered.

"Why? He'll just beat himself up again if Harry lets him up." Snorted Lexi, Hermione shot Lexi a cold, annoyed look but she didn't notice. Lexi crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at the elf; her back was leaning against the kitchen table.

"I want the truth Kreacher. How do you know Fletcher stole the locket?" Harry asked.

"Kreacher saw him!" he gasped, as tears poured over his nose and into his mouth full of greying teeth. "Kreacher told the snaketheif to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher just laughed and r—ran..."

"You called the locket Master Regulus' locket. Why?"

The four ended up talking to Kreacher for an hour. They learned about how Voldemort needed an elf, and then tried to murder Kreacher. How Regulus told Kreacher to bring him to where Voldemort took him and do whatever he says, then he watched Regulus die in front of him. And he was sworn to secrecy.

"Oh, Kreacher!" wailed Hermione, who was crying. She dropped to her knees beside the elf and tried to hug him. At once, Kreacher got to his feet, cringing away from her.

"The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it, and what would his mistress say?"

"I told you not to call anyone 'Mudblood'!'" snarled Harry but the elf was already punishing himself: he fell to the floor and was now banging his head on the floor.

"Stop him!" Hermione cried. Lexi grabbed the elf by its scrawny arms and held it tightly, the elf screamed and kicked but Lexi did not let go.

"Oh, don't you see, now, the way they've got to obey orders?" Hermione said.

Kreacher was struggling against Lexi's restrain causing Lexi to tighten her grip on the elf. "Stop—stop Kreacher!" Harry shouted.

The elf stopped squirming and he fell to the ground, panting and shivering, green mucus glistening around his nose, a bruise was already blooming on his forehead where he had hit himself.

Kreacher and Harry talked for a while longer about what he did with the locket once he brought it back to Grimmuald Place. Then about why Kreacher had betrayed Sirius to Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Kreacher," said Harry in a soft voice. "When you feel up to it, please sit up."

It took several minutes before Kreacher hiccoughed himself into silence. Then he pushed himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes like a child.

"Kreacher, I'm going to ask you to do something for me." Harry said. Lexi saw him glance at her. He was trying to sound kindly but still make it sound like an order. "Kreacher I want you to please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket went. We want to finish Master Regulus' work to ensure—uh—he did not die in vain."

Lexi smiled at Harry but he didn't notice. He never does.

Kreacher dropped his fists and looked up at Harry. "Find Mundungus Fletcher?" he croaked.

"And bring him here—to Grimmuald Place," said Harry. "do you think you can do that for us?"

Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, Lexi saw something light up in Harry's eyes. He reached for the pouch Hagrid had given him and took out the fake Horcrux—Regulus' locket.

"Kreacher—er—I'd like you to have this. It was Master Regulus'" Harry said placing the locket in elf's hand. "I'm sure he'd like you to have it as a token of gratitude for what you—"

"Overkill, mate." Ron said as the elf took one look at the locket, let out a howl of shock and misery and threw himself back on to the ground.

It nearly took another half hour to calm Kreacher down once more. He was so overcome to be presented with a Black family heirloom for his very own that he was to weak in the knees to stand properly.

When he was able to totter a few steps, the four accompanied him back to his cupboard, watched him tuck up the locket safely in his dirty blankets, and assured him that they would make its protection their number one priority while he was away. He then gave 3 bows to Lexi, Harry, and Ron and a funny muscle spasm, meant to be a wave, to Hermione before Disapparating with a loud _crack. _

* * *

Kreacher did not return for the next two days, and by then two men were practically stationed outside of number twelve. Looking at it even though they could not truly see it.

"They're Death Eaters, no doubt." Lexi said gazing out the window with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Reckon they know we're in here?" Ron asked.

"I don't think so," Hermione said, although she was looking rather frightened. "or they'd have sent Snape, right in after us."

"D'you reckon he's been in here and had his tongue tied by Mad-Eye's curse?"

"Yes," Lexi said not taking her eyes off the men, who seemed to be staring back at her. "otherwise they'd have sent a whole lot to come in after us by now. They know Harry owns the house after all."

"How do you—?" began Harry, looking at her.

"Wills are examined by the Ministry. Which is now controlled by You-Know-Who, remember? They'll know that Sirius would have left the house to you."

"Why won't you say his name, Lexi?" Ron asked.

"Because, I have a theory." She said, now taking her gaze away from the men and looking at her friends. They had confused expressions on their faces. "My theory is that his name is some sort of Tracker of some sort. A Taboo. Only a few people ever use his name and _we _fall under that category." She explained.

Hermione nodded. "It does make sense. Good thinking Lexi." She said smiling at her friend. Lexi smiled back at Hermione; there'd been some tension between them for a bit.

* * *

Time would go by slowly as the more they spent in the house. No one outside of Grimmuald Place had contacted them since Mr. Weasley's Patronus and the strain was starting to tell. Restless and irritable, Ron had developed the habit of constantly clicking his Deluminator, causing the lights to flicker on and off at random: this particularly infuriated Hermione who had spent the time reading _The Tales of Beedles and the Bard _while they waited for Kreacher.

"Will you stop it!" Hermione screamed on the third night of Kreacher's absence.

"Sorry, sorry." Ron said clicking his Deluminator and restoring the lights in the room. "I don't know I'm doing it!"

"Do something else to occupy yourself, Ron." Lexi said getting annoyed of Hermione and Ron's constant bickering. She had picked up the tendency to get very angry at times since they had left the Burrow.

"Like what? Read children's stories like Hermione or act emo like yo—"

"Dumbledore left me this book, Ron—"

"—and he let me the Deluminator, maybe I'm supposed to use it."

"Not by annoying us!" Lexi yelled, causing Ron and Hermione's heads to look at her. "You two are getting very annoying, with your constant fucking bickering. Ron if you want to play with your little Deluminator go to another room."

Ron rolled his eyes at her and slumped back into the couch, about to flicker his Deluminator until Hermione yelled for him not to. Lexi stood up, and slipped out of the room unnoticed. She needed to be alone for awhile. She headed downstairs into the rather dark and gloomy looking kitchen.

Then there was a tap at the front door, then metallic clicks and the grinding of the chain. Lexi took out her wand, instantly and hid in the shadows of the kitchen. The door creaked open, and she heard a few footsteps.

"_Severus Snape?"_

"It was not I who killed you Albus." The newcomer said, the dust figure exploded and Lexi saw Harry appear right in the middle of it, wand raised. Lexi then walked out the shadows she was hiding in and walked into the main hall, her wand pointed at the newcomer.

"Don't move!" Harry yelled.

Ron and Hermione came crashing down the stairs, wands raised also at the unknown man who had his hands raised in surrender.

"Hold your fire, it's me, Remus!"

"Oh, thank goodness." Hermione said and lowered her Ron. Ron did the same, only Lexi and Harry kept their wands up. Lexi thought it was idiotic of Hermione and Ron to just lower their wands like that, not even checking if it truly was Remus or an imposter.

"Show yourself!" Harry yelled back.

Lupin moved forwards into the lamplight, his hands still raised in surrender. "I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators' of the Mauradur's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus Harry, which takes the form of a stag."

"Oh, all right. Lexi wand down." Harry said and Lexi obeyed. "but I had to check didn't I?"

"Speaking as your ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, yes I do agree with you both for checking. Ron, Hermione you both shouldn't be so quick to lower your defences."

"Is everyone alright?" Lexi asked, putting her wand in her back pocket. "What's going on nowadays?"

"Yes," Lupin said. "we're all being watched, though. They're are a couple of Death Eaters outside the square—"

"—we know—"

"—I had to Apparate very precisely on the step outside to be sure they would not see me. Harry, let's go downstairs there is a lot I have to tell you and I would like to know what has happened to you since you've left the Burrow."

They descended into the kitchen; Hermione started a fire giving a sense of warm and coziness. Lupin pulled out four Butterbeers from his travelling coat and they all sat down.

"So you came here straight after the wedding?" Lupin asked.

"No," said Harry. "We went to Tottenham Court Road but a couple of Death Eaters had found us there."

Lupin slopped down most of his Butterbeer down his front. "_What_?"

They explained what happened at the cafe; when they finished Lupin looked aghast.

"But how did they find you so quickly? It's impossible to track anyone who Apparates unless someone is holding onto them."

"And it doesn't seem like they'd just fancied to take a stroll down that very same Road." Said Harry.

"We wondered," said Hermione. "If Harry could still have the Trace on him."

"Impossible." Lupin said. Ron looked smug and Harry let out a big sigh of relief. "Apart from anything else, they'd know or sure Harry was here if he still had the trace on him, wouldn't they? But I can't see how they could've tracked you down to Tottenham Court Road, that's really, really worrying." Lupin looked really disturbed, but as far Harry was concerned, that question could wait.

"Tell us what happened after we left, we haven't heard a thing since Ron's told us the family was safe."

"Well, Kingsley saved us," said Lupin. "Thanks to his warning, most of the guests were able to Disapparate before they arrived."

"Were they Death Eaters or Ministry people?" Lexi asked.

"A mixture; but to all intents and purposes, they are the same thing now," said Lupin. "There were about a dozen of them, but they didn't know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumour that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it's true, he didn't give you away."

Lexi jaw dropped. Scrimgeour was protecting them? But he practically hated them, well that what she thought. She was now grateful for him for now giving them away.

"They searched the Burrow top to bottom," Lupin continued. "They found the ghoul but didn't want to get to close-they interrogated those of us who remained for hours. They were trying to get information on you, Harry, but of course nobody apart from Order knew that you had been there."

"Did anyone die?" Hermione asked shakily.

Lupin shook his head. 'No deaths, but they were rough. Burned down Dedalus Diggles's house but as you know he wasn't there and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonks family, wanted to know where you went after your visit to them."

"They got through all those protection charms?" Harry asked.

"Harry, they've taken over the Ministry." Lexi said, looking at him. "Of course they'd be able to pass those charms. They have full power."

Lupin nodded in agreement with Lexi.

"And what are they're excuses for torturing people about Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Well," Lupin said, he hesitantly pulled out a folded up Daily Prophet. "Here," he said pushing it across the table to Harry. "you'll know sooner or later anyways. That's their pretext forgoing after you.

Harry took the paper and smoothed it out. He read the headline:

_WANTED FOR QUESTIONING ABOUT THE DEATH OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_

Ron, Hermione and Lexi gave roars of outrage, but Harry said nothing. He pushed the newspaper away; he did not want to read anymore. He knew what it would say. Nobody but those who had been on the top of the tower when Dumbledore died knew really who had killed him and, as Rita Skeeter had alreadly told the wizarding world, Harry had been seen running from the place moments after Dumbledore had fallen.

"I'm sorry, Harry." Lupin said.

"So, Death Eaters have taken over the Daily Prophet, too?" Hermione asked furiously. Lupin nodded.

"But surely people realize what's going on?"

"The coup has been smooth and virtually silent," sai Lupin. "The official version on Scrimgeour's murder is that he resigned; he has bee replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who is under the Imperious curse."

"Why didn't Voldemort declare himself Minister of Magic?" Ron asked.

Lupin laughed. "He doesn't need to, Ron. Effectivly he is the Minister, but why should he sit beind a desk when he has his puppet, Thicknesse, who will take are of everyday buisness while Voldemort extends his power."

"Many people have deduced what has happened with the Ministry's dramatic change of policy and many people are whispering that Voldemort is behind this," said Lupin. "but that's just it they're whispering. No one can confide in one another because no one knows who's side they're on. They're scared to speak out in case their suspicions are true and their families are targeted. Voldemort it playing a very clever game. Declaring himself might have provoked open rebllion: staying masked gives people fear."

"And this dramatic change." Harry said. "Warns the Wizarding world against me than Voldemort?"

"Well yes, and it masterstroke now that Dumbledore is dead you—the Boy who Lived-were sure to be the symbol of rebellion against Voldemort. Voldemort has not only set a price upon your head but sown doubt and fear amongst many who would have defended you."

"That sick bastard." Lexi said. The five then talked about how the Ministry also created a new Muggle-Born rule. They'd have to interrogate every Muggle-Born witch and wizard to find out how they had gotten their magic, which would have been illegal to them.

Lupin hesitated. "Harry, the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you with a mission?"

"He did,' Harry replied."And Ron, Hermione, and Lexi are in on it."

"Can you confide in me what the mission is?"

"I can't Remus, I'm sorry. If Dumbledore didn't tell you I don't think I can either."

"I thought you'd say that." said Lupin. "But I might be of some use to you. You know what I am and what I can do. I could come with you to provide protection."

Lexi saw Harry hesitation. She was looking at him, trying to get him to look at her and get the message that she was saying no. Hermione looked puzzled. "What about Tonks?" she asked.

"What about her?" said Lupin, knitting his eyebrows.

"Well," said Lexi. "you're married to her! How would she feel if you ran away with us?"

"Tonks will be perfectly safe," said Lupin a bit nervously. "She'll be at her parent's home." There was something strange in Lupin's tone: it was almost cold.

"Remus," Hermione said tentatively, "is everything alright between you and-"

"Everything is fine thank you." Lupin told her pointedly. Hermione turned pink. There was another pause, an awkward and embarrassed one. Lupin said then with an air of forcing himself to say something unpleasant. "Tonks is having a child."

"Oh how wonderful!" said Hermione,

"Excellent," Ron said enthusiastically.

"Congratulations!" said Harry.

Lexi was the only one who said nothing. She saw Lupin give a fake smile that was more like a grimace. "So...do you accept my offer? Will four become five?"

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. "Just-just to be clear," he said. "You want to leave Tonks at her parents' and come with us?"

"She'll be perfectly safe and fine at her parents, they'll look after her. Harry, I'm sure James would have wanted me to sick with you."

"Well then," said Harry slowly. "I'm not. I'm pretty sure my father would have wanted to know why you aren't sticking with your own kid, actually."

Lexi smirked as the colour in Lupin's face drained of colour. Ron stared around the room as Hermione's eyes went back and forth between Harry and Lupin. "You don't understand." said Lupin.

"Then explain to us." Lexi said to him.

"I-I made a grave mistake marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgement and I have regretted it very much ever since."

"I see," said Harry, "so you're just going to dump her and the kid and run off with us?"

Lupin sprang to his feet: His chair toppled over backward, and he glared at them so fiercely that Harry saw, for the first time ever, the shadow of the wolf upon his human face. "Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should've never married her; I've made her an outcast!"

Lexi flinched as she watched Lupin kick aside the chair he had overturned.

"You have only seen me amongst the Order or under Dumbledore's protection at Hogwarts! You don't know how most of the Wizarding world sees creatures like me! When they know of my affliction, they can barely talk to me! Don't you see what I've done? Even her own family is disgusted our marriage, what parents would want their daughter marrying a werewolf?"

Lexi stopped him before he could continue.

"Remus, please. Have you ever stopped to see the way Tonks looks at you? She loves you with all her heart, and could care less if you have made her an outcast. She choose to love you when she knew you were a werewolf, she knew the consequences, and she choose to be with you."

"But, the child, the child—my kind don't usually breed! I am convinced—I know—it will be like me. I've already made an outcast of a little innocent child .He'll be ashamed of me, for what I have done to him" said Lupin ignoring Lexi's comment

"Remus," Hermione whispered. "Don't say that, how could anyone, any child be ashamed of you?"

"I don't know, Hermione." said Harry."I'd be pretty ashamed of him." Harry was standing as well. "If the new regime thinks Muggle-Borns are bad what will they do to a half-werewolf whose father was in the Order? My father died trying to save me and my mother and you reckon he'd tell you to abandon your kid just to go on an adventure with us?"

"How-how dare you." said Lupin. "This is not about a desire for danger or personal glory-how dare you suggest such a—"

"I bet you feel like a daredevil, don't you? Fancy stepping into Sirius' shoes." said Harry.

Lexi rolled her eyes. _Now he chooses to talk back_, she thought, _I'm going to have to help him before he gets hurt I bet_. "Harry, no!" Hermione shouted.

"I can't believe—" Harry began, but Lexi cut him short my smacking him. He let out a yelp and rubbed his cheek. "What the bloody hell, Lexi!" He bellowed.

"We said shut up." Lexi snarled at him. She turned to Remus. "And you, Harry is partly right. Your child wouldn't be ashamed of you. Maybe in nineteen years people will have changed, maybe they'd love werewolves in the future. Who knows? I mean, come on you taught Harry how to fight Dementors, you're a Marauder but your acting like a fucking coward!"

Harry nodded his head. "What she said."

Before Lexi and Harry could react Lupin had drew his wand at the both of them. There was a loud bang and Lexi was flying backwards as if she had been punched. Harry and Lexi slammed into the kitchen wall and slid onto the floor.

"Lexi!" Harry yelled, running over to her. She sat up, hand on the spot where her head hit the wall.

"What the fuck." She said quietly as they all watched Remus go out the door.

"Remus!" Hermione called to him as he slammed the door. "How could you do that?" She said turning to Lexi.

"It was easy." Lexi muttered as Harry helped her up. "God that hurt. Stop looking at me like that." Lexi snapped.

"Don't start on her." Ron snarled at her.

"Stop fighting! We mustn't fight!" Hermione yelled.

"You shouldn't have said that stuff to Lupin." Ron said to Lexi.

"He got what was coming to him." Lexi said angrily.

"Yeah. Parent's shouldn't leave their kids unless, unless they've got to." Harry said, agreeing with Lexi.

Lexi sat down on the kitchen floor where she had landed; Harry sat next to her and held her hand. She smiled, for a while before she felt guilty about what she said to Lupin.

"I shouldn't have called him a coward," Lexi said looking down at hers and Harry's hands.

"No you shouldn't have." said Ron at once.

"But he was still acting like one."

"All the same..." said Hermione

"Yes," said Harry. "But if it makes him go back to Tonks, it was worth getting slammed into a wall right?"

"Speak for yourself." Lexi muttered


	10. Mundungus Fletcher and Some Planning

**A/N : hey guys, sorry for the wait. I've been piled in language homework and projects. but you know, here's chapter number 10 for those who enjoy this series.**

**oh, and have you guys seen the new DH stuff that's being released I just want to cry cause you know it's ending D; **

* * *

Harry had just finished reading an article in the _Daily Prophet_ about Dumbledore's past life from Rita Skeeter's new book about him and was in the process of lowering the newspaper, to ask Ron, Hermione, and Lexi on their opinions when deafening _crack_ echoed through the kitchen.

They all jumped to their feet, and Harry for the first time in days, had forgotten about Kreacher. He immediately thought at first that Lupin had come back, and for a split second, he did not take in the mass of struggling limbs.

Kreacher bowed to Harry."Kreacher has returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher, Master." He croaked in his bullfrog like voice.

Mundungus scrambled and took out his wand; Hermione was too fast for him though.

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione said, and caught his wand in her free hand as it soared through the air over to her. Wild-eyed Mundungus dived for the stairs but Lexi and Ron were too fast: Lexi had kicked him in the shin then Ron rugby tackled him.

"What?" He yelled, trying to free himself from Ron's grip. "Wha've I done? Setting a bleedin' 'ouse elf on me, what are you playing at, what've I done. lemme go, lemme go, or—or—"

"You're not in much of a position to make threats." Harry said as he crossed the room in two long strides then kneeled next to him, Lexi smirked in satisfaction.

Mundungus stopped struggling against Ron, now looking extremely terrified. Ron got up panting, and watched as Harry pointed his wand at Mundungus' nose.

"Kreacher apologises in the delay of bringing the thief, Master. Fletcher knows how to avoid capture, he has many hidey-holes. Nevertheless, Kreacher cornered the thief in the end."

"You've done very well, Kreacher." said Harry and the elf gave him a little bow. "Now we have some questions for you." Harry said turning to Mundungus.

"Why the 'ell am I 'eing 'unted down my 'ouse elves?" Mundungus asked. "If it's about the goblets again, I 'aven't gotten any of 'em left, if you 'ave—"

"Not about the goblets, dumbarse," Lexi said with a roll of her eyes. "But you're getting warmer. Keep thinking, if you're smart enough."

"Just shut up and listen." said Harry. "When you cleaned this place of all it valuables,"

Mundungus interjected."Sirius never cared for that stupid old junk anyways—"

There was the sound of pattering of feet, a blaze of shining copper, an echoing clang, and a shriek of agony: Kreacher had just hit Mundungus over the head with a saucepan.

Lexi started giggling wildly. Ron followed, but quieter.

"Call 'im off, call 'im off, 'e should be locked up!" Yelled Fletcher, flinching when Kreacher raised the pan again, arms trembling from its weight.

"Kreacher, no!" Harry yelled.

"Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?"

Ron and Lexi lost it, and had to leave the room.

"We need him conscious, Kreacher, but if he needs persuading you can do the honours." Said Harry.

"Thank you very much, Master." Kreacher said with a bow then retreated a short distance, his pale grey eyes fixed on Mundungus with loathing. Lexi and Ron rejoined them again, smiles on their faces.

"When you stripped this house of all the valuables you could find," Harry began. "You took a bunch of stuff from the kitchen cupboard. There was a locket there." Hermione and Ron looked at Harry. "What did you do with it?"

"Why?" asked Mundungus. "Is it valuable?"

"You've still got it!" cried Hermione.

"No," Lexi said shrewdly. "He's wondering if he should have asked for more money when he sold it."

"More?" Said Mundungus. "That wouldn't have been effing difficult...bleedin' gave it away, di'n' I? No choice."

"What do you mean?"

"I was selling in Diagon Alley and she came up to me and asks if I've got a license for trading magical artefacts. Bleedin' snoop. She was gonna fine me, but she took a fancying to the locket an' told me she'd take it and let me off that time, and to fink meself lucky."

"Who was this woman?" Harry asked.

"I dunno, some Ministry hags."

"Well we know lots of those." Lexi mumbled.

"Little woman. Bow on top of 'er head." He frowned and added. "Looked like a toad."

Harry dropped his wand, hitting Mundungus on the nose sending red sparks to Mundungus' eyebrows, which ignited.

"Aguamenti." Screamed Hermione and a jet of water came from her wand, engulfing a spluttering and choking Mundungus.

They all exchanged looks, but only Lexi said anything. "Are you fucking kidding me?

* * *

September first came quickly and by then half a dozen men were standing outside the small square all stationed in front of 12 Grimmuald Place. Lexi was sitting at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Harry to return from his trip to the Ministry.

Lexi fiddled with her thumbs until she heard the door slam. Her head shot into the direction of the door to see Harry come in, slipping off his Invisibility Cloak.

"_Severus Snape_?"

"I didn't kill you," Harry said and Dumbledore's dust figure exploded in front of him. Lexi stood up and was about to walk to him but Kreacher beat her to him. She sat back down.

"Master Harry, have you gotten Master Regulus' locket?" Kreacher asked, seizing the Invisibility Cloak.

He shook his head. "No." Harry said in a disappointed tone.

Lexi stood up and walked over to Harry."Did you see her?" Lexi asked, looking at him.

Harry shook his head again. "But I saw Mr. Weasley."

Lexi smiled."Really? Did you talk to him?" Harry gave her an are-you-kidding-me look. Lexi's face fell."Right, sorry." She said quickly, dropping her gaze.

"He looked good though. I guess I should tell Ron, do you know where he is?" He asked looking around.

Lexi shrugged."Somewhere in the house. Probably—wait most likely with Hermione." She said with a sly smile on her face.

"Harry we're in here!" Hermione called from the kitchen. Harry looked at Lexi who was looking at the ground and then he walked into the kitchen.

"What happened?" Lexi heard Ron ask Harry.

"I've got news that you guys won't like." Harry said then Lexi heard something, like paper, slap against the wooden table.

"Oh my," Hermione gasped.

"Lexi! C'mere!" Ron called, Lexi walked into the kitchen to see scribbled notes and hand-written maps that littered the long kitchen table but now they watched as Lexi strode into the room.

Lexi noticed the _Daily Prophet_ that was on the table, covering a few of the notes that were laid across the table. She quickly noticed the man on the front page. He had long, greasy black hair, long hooked noise and the headline read:

_Snape Confirmed as new Hogwarts Headmaster_

In disbelief Lexi snatched the newspaper off the kitchen and read the headline over and over. "No way." Lexi said, shaking her head, refusing to believe it, but she did believe it, no matter how much she didn't want to.

"I'm sorry, Lex. It's true." Harry said.

"Well now I don't want to go to Hogwarts even if I could now." Lexi groaned. "Think about everyone there. Luna, Neville, Dean, Seamus! And what about all the first years, they are going to get a horrible impression of Hogwarts."

Lexi could've cried, she didn't, but she could've. She was supposed to be strong but her home, her safe place, was taken over by a back stabbing, greasy son of a bitch who would no doubt make everyone's life miserable. He would probably take 50 points from Gryffindors and everyone not in Slytherin just for breathing.

That sounded horrible for everyone else, that sort of experience especially for the first years but then Ginny popped into her head, thinking that she was going to have to endure all this. Even that didn't make Lexi feel better; it must be way worse than they can tell.

"Lexi?" Hermione asked, as Lexi dropped the newspaper on the table again. "You alright?"

Lexi nodded. But truth was she wasn't, the one place where she truly belonged was being overrun by the people she hated and the man who killed Dumbledore was running it.

"So," Lexi said staring into space. "What happened while you were on watch, Harry?" She asked.

"Didn't see Umbridge." Harry reported. "I saw your dad, Ron. He looked alright."

Ron nodded in appreciation. "Thanks. Dad did tell me a lot of Ministry workers take the Floo Network to work. Umbridge would be to important to walk into the Ministry."

"Wow," Lexi snorted, she then mumbled. "Important my arse."

Ron laughed quietly and nodded.

They all sat there in uncomfortable silence. Just staring at each other. Harry was certain he could hear a weird buzzing noise whenever they were like this.

Lexi yawned. And flipped her hair over her shoulder. She rested her chin on her left hand which was being supported upwards by her elbow. She let out a sigh.

* * *

Harry stared at her, and everyone saw him staring and smiling at her, except Lexi. Lexi didn't notice. Harry sighed under his breath. She never noticed, she never noticed how much Harry had Lexi on his mind. She never did and probably never will.

"It's weird isn't it?" Lexi suddenly said, breaking the silence.

Everyone turned and looked at her."What's weird?" Hermione asked.

"Not being on the Hogwarts Express. I mean we would be on our way there by now. I probably left like six hours ago. It's weird." She said with another sigh.

"Yeah," Ron said with a nod.

Harry imagined Luna, Ginny, and Neville all sitting in a compartment together, probably wondering where they all were and discussing Snape's new reign as Hogwarts Headmaster. And the steam coming out from the scarlet steam engine.

"Oh!" Hermione said remembering something, breaking Harry out of his thoughts. "Did you see that funny old witch and that little wizard in the navy blue robes?" She asked, turning towards Harry.

"Yeah, the bloke from Magical Maintenance." said Ron

"How do you know he works for Magical Maintenance?" Hermione asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Dad said everyone from Magical Maintenance wears navy blue robes."

"But you never told us that!" She exclaimed. Hermione dropping her spoon, and Lexi was utterly confused about why Hermione was overreacting all of a sudden. "There's nothing in here about navy blue robes, nothing!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air after grabbing a few notes and scanning them.

"Well, does it really matter?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ron, it all matters! Every detail is important! If we're going to get into the Ministry and not give ourselves away when they're bound to be on the lookout for intruders, every detail matters! We've been over and over this, I mean, what's the point of all these reconnaissance trips if you aren't even bothering to tell us-"

"Blimey, Hermione, I forgot one little thing-"

"You do realize, don't you, that there's probably no more dangerous place in the whole world for us to be right now than the Ministry of-"

"—I think we should do it tomorrow." said Harry.

Lexi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should do this tomorrow."

Hermione stopped dead, her jaw hanging. Ron choked on his soup. "Tomorrow?" She squeaked. "You can't be serious, Harry."

"Well," said Lexi. "I'm sure doing this tomorrow, would speed up everything instead of skulking around the Ministry entrance for another month. I think we're ready."

Harry nodded agreeing with her. "The longer we put this thing off, the further away the locket could be. There's already a good chance Umbridge has chucked it away; the thing doesn't open."

"Unless, she did figure out a way to open it and it now possessed like Ginny was in second year." Said Ron.

"Doesn't make much of a difference," said Lexi, crossing her arms over her chest. "She was always evil. An evil old hag."

Ron chuckled quietly.

"We know everything important." Harry said noticing Hermione was deep in thought, biting her lip so hard it was turning white.

"I don't know..." Hermione said. "Something could go terribly wrong."

"We'll take those chances!" Lexi said. "We've spent three months now on the run and done nothing but stay in this house, we need to move. The longer we stay here the stronger Voldemort gets."

Lexi noticed Ron and Hermione had scared expressions on their faces. She couldn't help but smirk. "So it's settled? We're going to the Ministry tomorrow, yes? No?"

"No!" Hermione exclaimed. "We should just prepare for a few more weeks. Please." She said her voice going quieter and quieter after each word.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, guys. Just a few more weeks of preparation." He said, putting down his spoon.

Harry sighed and nodded. "We'll spend a few more weeks preparing, then it's time to act. Alright?" Harry said. Everyone nodded.

* * *

**A/N: thanks to mrs0cullen for helping out again.**

**and oh yeah the lines that appear throughout the story means either time change or POV change, just so you guys know.**


	11. Breakdown

**A/N : Hey everybody. Here's Chapter 11 that I hope you guys will enjoy it, this is actually not from the book. Completely out of mine and mrs0cullen's heads.**

**And for what's about to happen, mrs0cullen and I know the affects of what happens in this chapter so all the sensitive, emotional stuff actually can happen. Just in case...**

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Lexi was supposed to be sleeping in Regulus' room but she was actually wandering the house the entire night, making sure not to wake her friends. It was about five or six in the morning, the day they were supposed to be going to the Ministry. Lexi has had trouble sleeping lately, and today was about the second or third day that she hadn't slept.

She sat down at the long wooden table in the kitchen, where Kreacher had made her hot chocolate as he saw her come down early. Her hair was like a bird's nest and she probably had purple circles under her eyes that looked like bruises.

At about six thirty when Hermione and Ron came down for breakfast. They'd greeted her good morning and asked if she'd go fetch Harry, who was still asleep in Sirius' old room. Lexi nodded and walked at a rather fast pace to the room with her arms crossed across her chest.

She opened the door to see Harry sleeping peacefully, she smiled. "Harry, wake up." She said leaning against the doorframe.

Harry woke up instantly and sat up, rubbing his eyes then grabbing his glasses off the nightstand. "Lexi?" He said groggily as he put on his glasses. He blinked a few times to get better focus on his vision."You look awful, did you sleep?"

"That's just what I need to hear." Lexi said sarcastically with a smirk. "And to answer your question no. Now let's go downstairs we have to leave soon."

Harry quickly changed as Lexi waited for him. He walked over to her, his green eyes filled with worry. "Can you function this way?" He asked.

Lexi nodded. "Of course!" She exclaimed. "I'm just peachy." She said with a bright smile.

"Lexi," said Harry causing Lexi's smile to fade away. "Why don't you go to sleep? We'll go to the Ministry tomorrow instead."

Lexi shook her head. "No way." She said. "We're going to the Ministry today, I'm fine. Now come on, Hermione and Ron are waiting for us." She said already walking down the stairs, not longer waiting for Harry because she knew he'd try and get her to sleep.

"Hello, Harry." Hermione greeted as she saw Harry walk in after Lexi. "You ready for today?" She asked, taking a seat next to Ron at the table.

* * *

"Yes," Harry said then looked at Lexi who turned her head away. He thought she needed sleep, it was for the best, and they could go to the Ministry tomorrow. She's more important. "Maybe we should go tomorrow to the Ministry."

Lexi's head shot in Harry's direction, she was glaring at him now. "Harry." She said sternly.

Hermione looked confused, her eyebrows were furrowed, same going for Ron too. "Tomorrow, but why Harry? We've been planning and planning all week for today and now—"

Harry cut her off. "I think it's for the best." He said, giving a look to Lexi. She shook her head at him, disapprovingly.

Lexi looked at Hermione and she knew that Hermione knew that something was up and she'd ask any moment. "What's happening between you two?" She asked, eye moving from Lexi to Harry.

"Lexi hasn't slept in two or three days, Hermione. I think she should get some sleep." Harry explained. "That's why I want to go tomorrow instead."

"Well," said Lexi, crossing her arms her chest as she turned towards Harry. "Maybe I'm fine. Let's just go today. I'll catch up on my sleep _after_ we get the Horcrux alright?" She said.

"Maybe you should go to sleep, Lexi." Said Ron taking a step forward. "You look bloody awful and tired anyways." He pointed out. Hermione nodded.

Lexi shook her head, and then said stubbornly. "I'm fine alright. Let's just go get ready for the Ministry, it's almost seven and we need to be there by eight or something." She said, looking around at her friends.

Harry let out a sigh. She never did what was actually good for her, he thought. He needed to get her into her bed and let her sleep. She probably didn't even know how tired she looked and how tired actually felt. "Please, Lexi." He begged but she shook her head obviously. "Then maybe you're not going to come to the Ministry with us then." He said.

Lexi jaw dropped. "You bloody wanker!" She exclaimed. "Just because I don't want to sleep doesn't mean you can just decide for me to not go."

"As you said I'm in the leader." Harry said.

Lexi let out a frustrated groan and walked out of the kitchen angrily as Hermione and Ron stared from the door to Harry. "Harry," Hermione said. "Why'd you do that?"

Harry looked at her. "Because she needs sleep, Hermione or she'll crash sooner or later. And I won't let that happen at the Ministry, she could ruin everything."

Hermione let out a sigh. "We can postpone, just go talk to her."

Harry nodded and left the room to find Lexi sitting on the steps of the stairs with her head leaned against the wall. She stood up instantly when she saw him. "Oh wow. Hi Harry." She said giving him a small smile. "If you're here to tell me to sleep, I'm not going to. We have to end this, this Horcrux, kill Voldemort thing."

"I know, but you sleeping is more important." Harry said, as she climbed a couple of steps.

Lexi let out a small laugh, and shook her head. "No it isn't Harry, saving the Wizarding World is more important than me sleeping." She said, and she began to walk up the stairs until she was at the top and staring down at him. "If I don't want to sleep, please don't force me Harry."

"But it's unhealthy; you may as well be killing yourself." He said climbing a few for steps, keeping his eyes on hers the whole time.

"No I'm not, stop over exaggerating." Lexi said with a roll of her eyes.

Harry climbed the rest of the stairs until he was face to face with Lexi. "Please sleep," He said quietly. "For me."

"Sorry, Harry but no. If I'm fine then I'm fine don't force me alright?" She said. Harry noticed her hands were clenched into fists.

"But—"Harry began but Lexi raised her hand to silence him.

"Harry, please just let me be." She said then turned around and walked down the hall. Harry jogged up behind her and took her wrist, turning her around. "What?" She said angrily.

"Lexi you're being unhealthy." Said Harry.

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Everything I do is unhealthy to you and Hermione!" She exclaimed, irritated. "Now let me go."

"Lexi, calm down." Harry said as she tried to get him to let her wrists go. "You're tired and when you're tired things can get out of hand."

She began to struggle more and more, trying to make him let go of her hand but he was too strong for her. "Let me go." She said, looking down at her struggling wrists which were moving everywhere.

"Lexi, stop." He said, letting go of her wrists and grasping her shoulders. "Stop! Be quiet and stand still."

Lexi shook her head and began to move her shoulders from side to side, struggling again as Harry tried to make her stand still the best he could. "No!" She shouted. "Let me go! Let me go!"

Harry struggled against her until she finally broke down. She fell to the floor, and tears streamed steadily down her face. She hugged her knees to her chest as she let out shaky breaths. Harry dropped down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "What's wrong? Why you crying?"

"You wouldn't let me go." She choked out before she started to cry harder. Harry held her, knowing if he got her to lay down, she'd calm down and go to sleep for the first time in 72 hours.

Hermione came running up the stairs soon enough and saw Lexi and Harry on the ground. She ran over to the other side of Lexi and sat down next to her. "I told you to talk to her, not make her cry." She said as patted Lexi on the back.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Hermione." Said Harry. "She had a mental breakdown." He said though Lexi's sobs.

"She needs to be put to sleep." Said Hermione as Lexi leaned her head onto her shoulder. "Lexi," She said softly. "Harry's going to lay you down to rest alright."

Lexi looked up at Hermione, her brims of her eyes filled with tears. She nodded "Alright." She said finally giving in. Hermione looked at Harry and he nodded knowing what she meant. Hermione slowly removed Lexi off her shoulder and let Harry pick her up and carry her to Regulus' room.

Hermione came in soon after, as Harry tucked Lexi under the covers like a small child. Harry was about to turn away and leave with Hermione when Lexi grabbed his hand. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm going to talk with Hermione and Ron. I won't be long, I promise." Harry said. As he looked into her eyes he could tell something inside of her had broke. That something had just snapped and she just went mental for a moment.

Lexi nodded. "Don't be long." She said as she laid back down onto her pillows, letting Harry's hand slip from her grasp.

Harry nodded, he walked back over to her, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "I'll be back quickly." He said quietly. "I promise." Harry then walked out of the room with Hermione following him, the two walked down back to the kitchen.

"What's happened?" Ron asked.

"She's having a mental breakdown." Harry informed. "That's how tired she is, she just started crying, so I put her in bed, and told her I would be back soon, I'm hoping she falls asleep. I don't think she realizes how tired she really is." Hermione nodded in agreement.

"She's going to be alright, right? She's not going to go mental and breakdown on us all the time, right?"

"Ron." Hermione scolded.

"No, I don't think so. She's just really tired; I mean 72 hours without sleep, Ron. That's a lot, and she's just so tired that the slightest thing will tick het off." Said Harry. They three fell into silence and Harry heard that familiar buzzing noise that happened whenever no one talked. "I'm going to go back and check on her." He said after a few more minutes of silence.

Ron and Hermione nodded. "I want to come too." Said Hermione.

"Me too." Ron said, standing up from his chair.

Harry nodded. "Alright then, come on." He led his friends to Lexi's room to find her eyes closed and snoring quietly. "She's sleeping." He said quietly, smiling to himself.

"She looks so peaceful." Hermione said.

"I think this is the longest I haven't heard her talk." Ron said leaning against the doorway as Harry walked over to Lexi's side. "It's so nice!" (**A/N: Hannah Montana thing, you know In memory of the show coming to an end. It was part my childhood, so yeah.**)

Hermione looked at him. "Ron." She scolded. "So, tomorrow we're going for sure, right?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded, "Alright, we'll be downstairs." She said, grabbing Ron by the sleeve and leaving the room as she smiled at the sleeping Lexi.

Harry stayed by Lexi's side, sitting on the edge of her bed. He her hand, the one that wasn't covered by the green Slytherin blankets, and held it. "I love you, Lexi." He said quietly as he stroked her hand with his thumb.

**

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A/N: Oh, I forgot to mention that the Harry/Ginny story is getting delayed a bit because I'm having writters block for it. So I'm sorry for that and in this story there might be some quotes from 'Skins' the show, British show. **


	12. Lion's Den

**A/N: This chapter is in honor of Deathly Hallows Part One hitting theaters worldwide today. (:**

**Long Live Harry Potter.**

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About a whole day had passed until Lexi had regained consciousness; she could feel warmth on her face and the inside's of her eye lids were orange and red from the sun's rays beating down on her. She squeezed her eyes tightly for a moment then opened her eyes.

She was in Regulus' room again; Lexi looked around to take in her surroundings when she noticed Harry, asleep his back against the nightstand and his hand holding hers. Lexi smiled, and gave Harry's hand a squeeze. "Harry," She said groggily. "Wake up."

Harry's eyes opened after a few moments. He turned to look at her smiling face. "Hey Lex," He said. "You feel alright now?" He asked.

Lexi nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, I was so stubborn yesterday about me going to sleep, I mean I just want to get this all over with..."

This time Harry was the one to give Lexi a squeeze. "It's alright. You're forgiven." He said. "And it's good you're feeling better. "

Lexi smiled at the black-haired boy. She slowly climbed out of her bed, letting go of Harry's hand for an instant then grabbed hold of it again when she sat down on the floor next to him. Lexi looked down at her and Harry's hands on her lap, their fingers intertwined.

"Harry, Lexi." Ron's said as he walked into the room. "You ready? Today is the big day." He said, leaning on the doorway.

"Oh wow." Said Lexi a bit too happily. "Yeah, totally. We're totally ready!"

* * *

The four Apparated to the Ministry at about thirty or less minutes to eight o'clock. As they had expected the alleyway to the Ministry was deserted, except for a few large bins; the first Ministry workers didn't come until eight o'clock. Hermione did as she was supposed to, just like they had practiced and studied as they waited for the first worker to come.

Little more than a minute later there was a tiny _pop_ and a little witch with flyaway grey hair; Apparating just a foot in front of them as they hid behind the bins. The witch barely had to even blink and take in the warmth of the day as Hermione quickly stunned her.

"Nicely done." Said Ron. Hermione plucked a few hairs from the witch's head and added them to a flask of muddy Polyjuice Potion which she had kept in her beaded bag. Ron was rummaging through the witch's handbag. "She's Mafalda Hopkirk." Ron read from a small card. "You better take this one Hermione and here are the tokens."

Lexi and Harry were still hiding behind the bins, being covered by the Invisibility Cloak as Hermione transformed into Mafalda. Ron came back soon once finished with helping Hermione, since they had to wait for her to get hairs off the Magical Maintenance bloke. Harry and Ron watched as Hermione did as planned, Lexi was lost in her thoughts, blankly staring at the scene.

Within five minutes tops, Ron stood before them as a small and ferrety wearing navy blue robes that had been folded in the wizard's bag. "Weird he wasn't wearing them today, seeing how much he wanted to go. Anyways I'm Reg Cattermole, according to the label in the back.

"Now wait here, the two of you." Hermione said, to where Lexi and Harry hid under the Cloak. "We'll be back with some hairs for you." Her and Ron then walked off.

They had to wait ten minutes for Hermione and Ron to come back with curly black hairs. "This is for Harry. We don't know who it is though..." she said passing Harry several of the hairs. "Harry you change into whoever and I'll go find hairs for Lexi." She instructed then walked off again.

Once Harry's transformation was complete he was nearly six-feet tall, he had well-muscled arms, powerfully built. He also had a beard. Stowing away his glasses he left Lexi underneath the Cloak as she waited for Hermione to come back.

"Blimey that's scary." Said Ron, looking up at Harry who towered over him.

"Yeah, you're like seriously tall, Harry. It's scary, as Ron said. You're like six-feet tall, maybe more." Said Lexi.

"Alright I'm back." Hermione said and Lexi pulled off the Cloak. Hermione handed her several dark brown hairs. "This is from a girl named Elizabeth Ainsworth. She's fairly young for someone who works at the Ministry."

"Oh yeah, Dad said she's some sort of intern at the Ministry." Said Ron.

"The Ministry has interns?" Lexi said as she added the hairs to her Polyjuice Potion. Hermione handed her some extra robes and Lexi retired to take the Potion and change.

When Lexi was done transforming she had long brown hair that rippled down her back. She was a couple of inches taller than her normal height. Her body was a bit fatter but her skin looked absolutely flawless. Lexi guessed that Elizabeth was new to the working stuff and was about a year or two younger than Percy. She walked back to her friends, and Hermione handed her one of the tokens.

"Blimey, I never knew Elizabeth was so att — never mind." Said Ron. Lexi didn't know obviously if Ron was right about Elizabeth being attractive since she couldn't see her face.

"Come on, we should get going. It's almost nine." Hermione said.

* * *

Once Lexi was inside of the Ministry, she stared at the statue that was placed right in the middle of the Ministry. It wasn't the golden fountain from her fifth year that she remembered but something that was dreadful to look at. It was a gigantic statue of black stone, giving it a rather frightening appearance. The vast sculpture of a witch and a wizard were sitting ornately carved thrones, looking down at the Ministry. Engraved in foot-high letters at the base of the statue were the words: MAGIC IS MIGHT.

"Psst." Lexi heard a voice say. She tore her gaze from the statue and looked to her right; there was a wizard in navy blue robes and a witch with grey flyaway hair. She recognized them as Hermione and Ron and she hesitantly walked over to them, looking over at the statue every once and a while.

"Psst." Hermione said again, motioning to someone to come over. Lexi looked over her shoulder to see Harry walking over to them. "You got in alright then?" She asked Harry.

"No, he's still stuck in the bog." Ron said.

"Oh very funny, it's horrible isn't it?" Hermione said to Harry who was gazing up at the statue still. "Did you see what they are sitting on?"

Lexi furrowed her brow at Hermione then turned to look at the statue again. She looked closely at the chairs that the wizard and witch were sitting on. She gasped when she realized it wasn't a chair but human beings, naked, with faces of agony on their stone faces.

"Muggles in their rightful place." Said Hermione in a cold voice.

"That's awful." Lexi said quietly and she saw Harry nod from the corner of her eye.

"Cattermole!"

They looked around, and Lexi's stomach turned over. One of the Death Eaters who had witnessed Dumbledore's death was striding toward them. The Ministry workers beside them fell silent, their eyes downcast. She could feel fear rippling through them, the man obviously had power. Someone in the crowd around the lifts called sycophantically, "Morning, Yaxley!" Yet Yaxley ignored them.

"My office is raining, Cattermole! I thought I told someone to fix it." He said glaring at Ron.

"Raining...in your office? That's not good is it?" Ron gave out a nervous laugh. Yaxley on the other hand was not amused.

"Think it's funny now do you?" He said. "You do know I'm on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife. In fact I'm quite surprised you're not down there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a pure-blood next time."

Lexi bit her tongue to stop her from saying something that'd get her in trouble. "I—I—" Stammered Ron.

"If _my _wife was being accused of being a Mudblood—not that any woman I married would ever be mistaken for such filth—and Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do that job, Cattermole. Do you understand?'

Ron nodded his head and whispered. "Yes."

"Then attend to it, Cattermole." Said Yaxley then walked away to another lift that was in the other direction.

Ron muttered something and Hermione began to list some spells. Lexi guessed that she was trying to help him with spells to fix Yaxley's office. He nodded thanks then walked off.

"Elizabeth! Mafalda!" Someone shouted from behind them. Hermione and Lexi jumped and turned around to see Umbridge walking towards them. "I need the two of you to come with me?"

"Why?" said Lexi.

Umbridge gave Lexi a confused look. "You hardly talk Elizabeth, matter of fact, you never talk. Strange, I've never heard you say anything before." She said then turned to Hermione and began to talk to her.

Elizabeth didn't talk? Well, that was an interesting thing to know about her. She was probably just running around the Ministry doing errands for people, acting like a servant not talking back since she didn't talk.

Umbridge then grabbed both Hermione and Lexi's wrists and dragged them along with her down the hall.

* * *

Harry watched as Umbridge dragged Lexi and Hermione by the wrists to Mrs. Cattermole's interrogation. Lexi looked back at Harry and gave him a smile, with dimples showing and blue eyes sparkling on Elizabeth's face. Even as someone else she gave a flawless smile.

Harry had wandered around, talking with Ron's father which didn't go well, searching Umbridge's pink office under his Invisibility Cloak then going down to the court-room where Lexi and Hermione were.

Lost in thought, he did not immediately register the sudden unnatural chill that washed over him as he walked down the hall. It was becoming colder and colder with each step he took: a cold that reached right down into his throat and tore at his lungs. He then felt the expanding feeling of hopelessness, despair, and one thing came to mind: _Dementors._

As he reached the foot of the stairs and turned to his right, he saw the dreadful scene. The outside of the courtroom were packed with tall, black-hooded figures, their faces hidden, and their ragged breathing the only sound in the place. The Muggle-borns who were brought in for questioning were huddled together, shivering on wooden benches.

Moving towards the black hooded figures was terrifying enough for Harry; the eyeless faces hidden beneath their hoods turned as he passed, sending shivers down his back. And then, shockingly one of the dungeons doors burst open and screams echoed out of it.

A man was screaming about how he was a half-blood, that they should look up his father until Umbridge said he would get a Dementors kiss then the man shut his mouth, eyes going wide.

"Take him away." Said Umbridge.

Two Dementors appeared in the doorway of the courtroom, scabbed hands clutching the upper arms of a wizard who appeared to be fainting. They glided away down the corridor with him.

"Next—Mary Cattermole." Umbridge called.

A small woman stood up from the benches, shaking from head to toe. Her face was bloodless. As she passed the Dementors, Harry saw her shudder. As the door began to close as Mary Cattermole walked into the courtroom, Harry slipped through the closing crack in the door and followed her into the courtroom.

In the courtroom there were Dementors here and there, casting their freezing aura all over the place. Behind a balustrade sat Umbridge, with Yaxley on one of side of her, and Hermione, quite white-faced was on the other and Lexi stood behind them, with a parchment, a book underneath it and quill in her hand. At the foot of the platform a bright silver cat, prowled up and down it. Harry realised it was thre to protect the prosecutors from the effects of the Dementors.

"Sit down," said Umbridge in a soft, silky voice.

Mrs. Cattermole stumbled into the chair that was placed into the middle of the room. Right as she sat down, chains clinked out of the arms and bound her to her seat. Umbridge smiled a wicked evil smile that Harry thought could belong to Bellatrix.

As Umbridge began to interrogate Mrs. Cattermole, Harry walked over to the platform where, Hermione and Lexi were. Mrs. Cattermole's sobs masked his footsteps. Slowly, Harry walked over to where Lexi stood. He was worried that he would make her jump, same going to Hermione.

"I'm beside you." He whispered in her ear, as he finally got over to her.

Just as Harry expected, Lexi jumped almost dropping her stuff. Hermione turned her head to face Lexi, but Umbridge and Yaxley didn't seem to notice, they were to into interrogating Mrs. Cattermole.

Hermione titled her head, her eyes asking 'What's wrong?'

Lexi pointed her thumb, in Harry's direction and mouthed. 'Harry's here.'

Hermione's eyes widened and nodded. She turned back around.

"...Could you please tell us from which witch or wizard you took that wand?"

"T-took?" sobbed Mrs. Cattermole. "I didn't take it from anybody. I b-bought it when I was eleven-years-old. It - it - it _chose_ me." She began to sob harder.

"No," said Umbridge, shaking her head. "No, I don't think so, Mrs. Cattermole. You see, wands only choose witches or wizards. You are neither. I have your responses to the questionnaire that was sent to you here. Mafalda, please pass it over."

Hermione hands were shaking with shock as she fumbled in a pile of documents. Finally she handed the lopsided questionnaire with Mrs. Cattermole's name on it to Umbridge."That's a very lovely pendant you are wearing, Dolores. Very beautiful." Said Hermione pointing to the pendant gleaming on Umbridge's blouse.

"What?" Umbridge asked, sounding surprised as she glanced down. "Oh yes an old family heirloom." She patted the locket lying on her large bosom. "The S stands for Selwyn... I am related to the Selwyns... Indeed, there are few pureblood families to whom I am not related... A pity," she continued to say in a louder voice, flickering through Mrs. Cattermole's questionnaire, "that the same cannot be said for you."

* * *

Lexi rolled her eyes, Umbridge was completely ridiculous. She had just said that the _Horcrux_ was a family heirloom. Ridiculous. A complete lie.

Then from the corner of her eye, Lexi saw a hand outstretched with a hand pointing at Umbridge. Her eyes widened as she knew what Harry was about to do. She opened her mouth to say for him to lower his wand but it was too late.

"_Stupefy!"_ Harry shouted.

The jet of red light, Harry's spell hitting Umbridge in her back. She crumpled and her forehead hit the balustrade. Yaxley, confused, look around for the source of the trouble and saw Harry's disembodied hand. Yaxley's eyes flickered to Lexi for a moment, probably thinking it was her but then he watched Harry's wand turn towards him.

"_Stupefy!" _

Yaxley fell to the ground.

"Harry!" Lexi and Hermione shouted.

"If you guys think, I'm just going to stand under here and let her—"

"Harry, Mrs. Cattermole!" said Hermione, pointing at the woman who was still seated on the chair, her eyes wide.

Lexi gasped, as she saw the Dementors beginning to glide towards her, no longer being trapped in the corner of the room. Harry had thrown off his Invisibility Cloak as she let out a terrible scream of fear as a Dementor's scabbed hand grasped her chin and forced her head back.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM_!"

A silver stag shot out of his wand, and leapt towards the Dementor's , causing them to fall back into the shadows.

Lexi walked over to the short, pudgy, toad-like woman, she grasped the pendant in her hand and yanked it, breaking the clasp of the chain. She smiled as she stared at the Horcrux in her hand. "Hermione," She said then tossed it over to her.

Hermione let out a yelp as the Horcrux flew over to her. She caught it in her hands, and the two girls rushed over to where Harry was, trying to free Mrs. Cattermole. "Hermione, help!" He shouted.

"_Relashio!"_ said Hermione, and the chain clicked, unbinding Mrs. Cattermole.

"Come on, we have to go!" Lexi yelled, running towards the courtroom door.

Hermione, Lexi, Harry, and Mrs. Cattermole ran out of the courtroom, only to forget the other Dementors that waited outside for them. The cloaked figures turned in their direction, and Lexi whipped out her wand. "_Expecto Patronum!"_

"_Expecto Patronum!" _Harry and Hermione said just after Lexi.

A silver mockingjay, (_I know they're not real, but I'm reading the Hunger Games, and yeah. Just go with it_) a stag, and an otter shot out of their wands, and the Dementors dispersed. The Muggle-borns on the bench were still huddled together, eyes wide as they stared at the four people in front of them.

"It's been decided that you should all go home and into hiding with your families." Said Harry. "Go aboard if you can. That's the –er—new rule. Now if you follow the Patronuses you'll be able to leave from the Atrium."

"Just get away from the Ministry." Said Lexi, looking at the Muggle-borns dead in the eye.

* * *

They managed to get up the stones steps without getting intercepted, but as they approached the lifts Harry started to have misgivings. If they emerged into the Atrium with a silver stag, an otter, and a mockingjay and twenty accused Muggle-borns they'd attract unwanted attention.

As the lift door opened, everyone began to spill out of it and over to fireplaces, where they all began to vanish. "Reg!" Mrs. Cattermole screamed as she threw herself into Ron's arm as he came over. "Reg—he had a change of heart—he attacked them—Umbridge and Yaxley and said we have to go, get the kids and leave. We should listen to him. Why are you wet?"

"Water." Ron muttered. "Harry, they know someone they don't want is in the Ministry. Something about a hole in Umbridge's office door."

"Mary!" someone shouted. The Patronuses disappeared with a _pop_. Reg Cattermole—the_ real_ Reg Cattermole was running towards his wife, with the _real _Elizabeth following close behind.

"R-Reg?" Mrs. Cattermole said. She looked at Ron, who swore loudly.

"Hey, what's going on? What is this?"

"Seal the exit! SEALT IT!" Yaxley had burst out of another lift and was running towards them and was running towards the group beside the fireplaces into which all of Muggle-borns but Mrs. Cattermole had now vanished. As the balding wizard raised his wand, Harry lifted an enormous fist and punched him sending him flying through the air.

"He's been helping the Muggle-borns escape!" shouted Harry.

"Let go of me!" Lexi shouted. Harry turned to look at her, to see that Elizabeth was holding Lexi around the neck, her wand digging into the side of her head. Elizabeth looked at Harry and smiled evilly.

Then Harry could see it, faintly, through the sleeve of her shirt was a Dark Mark that was supposed to be hidden by her coat that she wore over her clothes. Lexi struggled against Elizabeth's grip "Let me go!" She said again.

"SEAL THE EXIT!" Yaxley bellowed.

"Harry, we have to go!" shouted Hermione, she hadn't noticed Lexi and Elizabeth, she grabbed his hand.

"Lexi!" Harry shouted just as they jumped into the fireplace. They spun for a few seconds before shooting out of the toilet and into a cubicle. Harry flung the door open; Ron was standing there beside the sinks, still wrestling with Mrs. Cattermole.

"Reg, I don't understand—"

"Let go, I'm not your husband, you've got to go home!"

There was a sound from the cubicle behind them; Yaxley had just appeared.

"LET'S GO!" shouted Harry. He seized Hermione by the hand and Ron by the arm and turned on the spot.

Darkness engulfed them along with the sensation of compressing bands, but something was wrong...Hermione's hand seemed to be sliding out of his grip. He couldn't lose her too.

He wondered wether he was going to suffocate, he could not breathe or see and the only solid things in the world were Ron's arm and Hermione's fingers, which were slowly slipping away.

And then he saw the door of number twelve, Grimmuald Place, with the serpent knocker. But before he could even breathe, there was a scream and a flash of purple light; Hermione's hand was suddenly vice-like upon his own and everything went dark again.


	13. Anywhere But Here

**A/N: I forgot to tell you guys something. Mrs0cullen, my collab writer has thought up of this new idea for a story after this one, because we just finished pre-writting and she came up with the idea of doing a series where everyone goes to Hogwarts for a seventh year. **

**We're writing that now. So after this series, we're starting the seventh year series called 'Our Last Year' then we're done. **

** I'm also going to be starting a Skins/Harry Potter story so watch out for that too.**

**Oh! And you guys seriously need to watch Deathly Hallows. I've seen it 5 times already and it gets me every single time.**

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Harry opened his eyes and was dazzled by gold and green; he had no idea what had happened, he only knew he was lying on leaves and twigs. He struggled to draw a breath into his flattened lungs, he blinked and realised that the gaudy glare was sunlight.

He pushed himself onto his hands and knees, ready to face from sort of fierce creature, but only saw Ron a few feet away from him. Looking around, Harry saw that they were lying on a forest floor, apparently all alone.

He met Hermione, who was only on her hands and knees at Ron's head. The moment his eyes fell upon Ron, all the concerns that were flooding Harry's head disappeared. Blood. It drenched the whole left side of Ron and his face stood out, greyish white, against the multi-coloured leaves.

"What's happened to him?"

"Splinched." Said Hermione, her hands already busy working on Ron's sleeve where the blood was wettest and darkest.

Harry knelt there, horrified, as he watched Hermione tear open his shirt. His insides crawled unpleasantly as Hermione laid bare Ron's arm where a chunk of flesh was missing.

"Harry quickly, in my bag, there is a small bottle labelled _Essence of Dittany—"_

"Bag—right—"

Harry sped to the place where Hermione's beaded bag had landed ans thrust his hand inside it. At once, object after object began presenting itself to his touch.

"Quickly!"

Harry grabbed his wand from the ground and pointed it into the magical bag. "_Accio dittany!"_

A small brown bottle zoomed out of the bag and Harry caught it in his hand. He hastened back to Hermione and Ron, whose eyeswere now half-closed, strips of white eyeball was all that was visible between his lids.

"He's fainted." Said Hermione. "Unstopper it for me, Harry. My hands are shaking."

Harry nodded and wrenched the stopper off the little bottle, Hermione took it from his hands and poured three drops of it onto the bleeding wound. Greenish smoke then billowed upwards and when it had cleaned, Harry could see that the bleeding had now stopped. The wound looked as it were several days old; new skin stretched over what had just been open flesh.

"Wow." Said Harry astonished.

"This is all I can do for now." Said Hermione shakily. "There are spells that would put him up completely but I daren't try it in case I do something wrong and cause more damage...he's lost so much blood already..."

"How did he get hurt?" asked Harry. "I mean, how come we're here? Why are we here and not Grimmuald Place?"

Hermione took a deep breath; she looked as if she were close to tears. "Harry, I don't think we're going to be able to go back there anymore."

Harry furrowed his brow. "What d'you—?"

"When we Disapparated, Yaxley, he—he got hold of me. I couldn't get hid of him, he was too strong, and he was still holding me when we arrived at Grimmuald Place. Then I think he must have seen the door, and thought we were stopping there so he slackened his grip and I managed to shake him off and I brought us here instead."

"But then, where's he? Hang on...you don't mean he's at Grimmuald Place? He can't get in there?"

Hermione's eyes were glazed with tears. She nodded. "I think he can Harry. I mean, we're Secret Keepers now that Dumbledore's...dead." She said sadly. "Harry I'm so sorry! I truly am!"

"Don't be stupid...it was no one's fault. If it was anyone's it would be mine..." He said looking down at Ron. "What about Lexi?" He said.

"What?" said Hermione. She looked around the forest. "I thought she came with us. She did didn't she Harry." She asked her eyes filled with worry.

Harry shook his head. "No." He said. "Elizabeth—the real one, got hold of her. She's a Death Eater, Hermione. I was about to go and help her but—but you grabbed me and then we left."

Hermione gasped. "I'm so sorry, Harry! I didn't see her, now—now they've took her." Tears were cascading down her cheeks.

* * *

Lexi's eyes snapped open. She was somewhere dark, cold, wet. She was lying down on her stomach on a cold cement floor; her head was turned to the left, facing darkness. She pushed herself off the ground and looked around, on her knees.

"Hello?" She called. "Anyone here?"

"Who's there?" an old man's voice called not far from Lexi.

Lexi instantly recognized that voice. "Mr. Ollivander?" She said, confused. She blinked several times, rapidly, to get her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

There was shuffling and Lexi could make out a figure a foot away. "Yes." Ollivander said. "Who are you?"

"Lexi. Lexi Moore." Lexi got off her knees and stood up, her legs shaking a tad as she did so. "Where are we?" She asked Ollivander, taking a step towards him.

"Malfoy—Malfoy Manor, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is using this place as headquarters for the Death Eaters." He explained. "I have been here since the beginning of the summer now."

Lexi looked at Ollivander, she could make out his face now. He was pale, with hair that was longer than she remembered; he had wrinkles caused from old age. "Why does he need you?" She asked.

"About wands of course. The twin cores, his wand and Harry Potter's wand."

Twin cores? Why would Voldemort want to know about his wand and Harry's? Lexi furrowed her brow. "Could you tell me what he wanted to speak to you about?" She asked.

Ollivander hesitated but nodded. "He wanted to know, how to defeat Potter's wand. The twin cores, they cannot destroy one another but merely harm. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wanted to know what I knew on how to defeat the twin cores. I told him, that he must use another one's wand in order to do so. I wasn't sure, but it was all I had to stay alive."

Lexi nodded. "Thank you for telling me. Now, do you know how get out of here?" She asked.

Ollivander shook his head. "I have tried everything. But this dungeon seems to be enchanted, only someone from the outside can open the dungeon to let us free."

Lexi let out a sigh, as distant footsteps began to grow louder and louder. Footsteps? Lexi turned her attention to the door that gave them some light, someone was coming. Ollivander snapped his head in the direction of the door and moved back into the shadows.

"Back away from the door, I'm coming in!" A voice that belonged to Peter Pettigrew said. There was a tap and the door opened, revealing the rat-like man. "Moore, the Dark Lord wishes to speak with you." He said smiling wickedly.

Not sure of what was going to happen to her, Wormtail stepped aside and there he stood. His red eyes gleaming with madness, and his nose were just like a snake. Slits.

"Hello, Lexi." He said in a high, cold voice.

Voldemort was walking over to her. Lexi patted her pockets, looking for her wand but it wasn't there. Lexi tried to show no fear, as he stood right in front of her now, looking down at her. "W—what do you want?" She managed to say.

"Why just to have a lovely chat."

Lexi scoffed. "You kidnap me just to have a 'lovely chat'?" She said, raising her eyebrows. She let out a humourless laugh. "Are you serious?"

"No, we have also taken you for various reasons. Now, let's talk." He paused for a moment. "I know many things about your past, Ms. Moore. Somethings you may not even know yourself."

Lexi furrowed her brow; her heart was hammering against her chest. She was wondering if he could hear it or sense how scared she was. "What things?" She asked.

"What House was your father in?" He asked.

"Gryffindor." Lexi answered instantly. She didn't understand why he wanted to talk about this, but Harry did tell her that he could work in mysterious ways.

Voldemort smiled. "Wrong, your father was in _Slytherin_."

Disbelieving what she heard, Lexi shook her head. "No way." She said. "My father was in Gryffindor. He told me so!" She exclaimed.

Voldemort pulled out his wand, and began to twirl it in his fingers. "Please, calm down Ms. Moore. I'm not done talking."

"I don't—"

"_Silencio." _ With a wave of his wand, Lexi's mouth was clamped shut. She was unable to talk, no matter how hard she tried. "When he was eleven years old he was sorted into Slytherin along with Lucius Malfoy and Regulus Black. They grew up together, Regulus being younger and Lucius older of course but they were quite good friends. But your father, after he graduated, was looking for something more...fulfilling. Lucius introduced him to me, once your father had graduated. Of course he already knew about me, but once Lucius suggested he join me, he just couldn't resist."

"He was very loyal to me, but then he met your mother, and didn't tell me. He married her in secret, and got her pregnant with you. I didn't know about you until two months after you were born. Of course, I accepted you, because I was under the impression that your father had just gotten a woman pregnant just to have a baby. Your father and Lucius had agreed at an arranged marriage between you and Lucius' son, Draco Malfoy, you know him. You two were inseparable as children, even after your friend, Harry, defeated me, but, I just recently learned that you two were separated at the age of 6, and you were taken to live with your mother—your parents had separated a while after you were born—and she could live happily with your father. I knew, when I came back, that you were in Slytherin, it was only last year that Draco told me you were a Gryffindor."

Lexi took this all in; positive he was feeding her lies. She wondered where her parents were now, if they had really gotten over seas like she had told them. Voldemort waved his wand again and Lexi realized he undid the Silencing Charm on her.

"Now, I must ask you an important question." Lexi waited. "Where is Harry Potter?"

* * *

Harry's scar was burning now. He thought that there was so much they did not know. Lupin was right about magic they had never encountered or imagined. Why hadn't Dumbledore explained more? Had he thought that there would be time; that he would live for years, for centuries, perhaps like his friend Nicolas Flamel? If so, he had been wrong...Snape had seen that...Snape, the sleeping snake, who had struck at the top of the Tower...

And Dumbledore had fallen...fallen...

"_Where is he?"_

Harry's voice was high, clear, and cold. His wand was stretched out, pointing downwards to a girl who laid on the floor. She was breathing heavily on the ground, as she laid down on the floor, facing him. He could see her face; her blonde hair was sprawled on the floor, as she looked up at him.

"I told you, I don't know!" She shouted.

"_Don't lie to Lord Voldemort, Lexi. He knows...he always knows." _He said, in his cold voice.

The girl pushed herself to her feet. "I told you for the hundredth time, I don't know where Harry is!"—Harry could see, tears were falling from her eyes—"I've already told the last I saw him was Privet Drive! I haven't seen him then!"

"_Crucio!"_

The girl fell back down to the ground, screaming out in pain as the curse caused excruciating pain throughout her body.

When the curse was lifted after one minute or so, the girl was breathing heavily again on the ground. _"If I didn't need you alive, you would have been dead by now." _He then swept out of the room, leaving the girl on the ground.

"_Harry!"_

He opened his eyes, panting, his forehead throbbing. He had passed out against the side of the tent; had slide sideways down the canvas and was sprawled on the ground. He looked up at Hermione, whose bushy hair had obscured the tiny patch of sky visible through the dark branches high above.

"Dream," he said sitting up quickly. "Must have dozed off."

"I know it was your scar, Harry! I can tell by the look on your face! You were looking into Vol—"

"Don't say his name! Remember what Lexi said!" Ron's voice said angrily from inside the tent.

"_Fine," _retorted Hermione. "_You-Know-Who's _mind! You were looking into _You-Know-Who's_ mind!"

"I didn't mean for it to happen." Said Harry. "It was a dream; can you control what you dream about, Hermione?"

"If you had just learned to apply Occlumency—"

Harry wasn't in the mood for being told off by Hermione. He wanted to discuss what he had seen. "He has Lexi." He said, and Hermione quickly shut her mouth. "He has her and he's torturing her for information about me. She got him angry and he started using the Cruciatus Curse on her."

Hermione's eyes were wide with shock. "What did she say?" She asked, shakily.

"That the last time she saw me was on Privet Drive."

Ron came out of the tent. "He has her? And why would she saw she saw you last at Privet Drive?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

Hermione looked at him. "It makes sense, if you think about it. You-Know-Who knew about the Seven Potter plan and then at the wedding you were in disguise, same for the Ministry."

Harry felt guilt growing in his stomach. She was being tortured because of him, she had lied for him, and she could have been dead. "He said he needed her for something important."

"Like?" asked Ron.

"I don't know." He said quietly. "I knew she shouldn't have come. We told her, but she insisted now...now he's got her and I can't go and save her this time."

"Blimey," said Ron. "What if they torture her so much she ends up the same as the Longbottoms?" He asked.

Hermione slapped Ron's good arm. "Ron!" She scowled.

He rubbed his arm. "Just being realistic, Hermione."

___

* * *

_Lexi woke up in the Malfoy's basement again, she had passed out on the floor right after Voldemort had left. She lifted her head and looked around, she couldn't see Ollivander, he was probably in some corner by himself. Her body ached from the curses that she had received as the 'lovely' chat she was supposed to be having turned into her on the ground screaming in pain.

"Lexi." Said a voice.

Lexi shut her eyes tightly before opening them, she pushed herself onto her knees and looked around. "Who's there?" She called.

"Turn to the door."

She obeyed and from the light that the cell like door provided, she could make out a shadow of a person. Lexi got on her feet and walked to towards the door as she got closer she could make out the person slowly. "Hullo Draco. Shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?" She asked.

"Nope. The Dark Lord says he needs me to stay and he's sent me to get you."

Lexi groaned. "Why? To talk more about how you were my best friend?" She asked.

"Not exactly."

He then tapped his wand on the door, and pushed it open for Lexi. Hesitantly she walked through the door, not knowing what would await her.


	14. Bump in the Road

**A/N: This chapter is sort of short. And I really appreciate the reviews I've been getting, and you guys should read mrs0cullen's stories ( my co-writer) they are really good.**

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Draco led Lexi to a room; it seemed to be the meeting room for the Death Eaters since there was a long black table in the centre of it, with chairs all around. Voldemort sat at the very end of the table, a grey fireplace behind him, embroidered with two serpents that connected in the middle by winding around once another, golden orange and red flames flickering about.

As soon as they had entered the room and Draco had laid eye upon his Master, he stiffened. Fear filled his eyes and Lexi not knowing why but felt kind of sad for him. She took a guess, thinking that this feeling of sympathy towards him was coming from the little girl inside of her that _was_ his best friend.

She didn't even know he was her best friend. By the age of 6 she'd have think she would have remembered being inseparable with him.

"You both know each other," Voldemort started off. "And you are both at the same age. Well Lucius and I have been discussing that we could like to carry out the original plan of the two of you getting married."

Lexi and Draco exchanged glances, both eyes now filled with worry and fear. "No." Piped up Lexi. "No way in hell am I marrying anyone, especially Malfoy."

Voldemort sat up straighter in his chair. His snake, Nagini, slithered up the side of the chair, hissing. "I'm afraid you both do not have a choice. Lexi you are going to be following in your father's footsteps, seeing as every person in the Malfoy since my reign as joined me and you breaking that would be dreadful."

Shaking her head, Lexi looked at Voldemort. "Why don't you just tell me—us, why you are forcing us into marriage at 17 years old because I know it is not for our own happiness."

"Well, Draco is my heir, and he needs someone to help him, and you are that person."

"Cut the crap." Said Lexi, angrily. "Is it just so I can have his kids or something, because that is an impossibility. You can't force him or me into that."

"Well, of course, you getting pregnant with his children would be a plus."

From the corner of her eyes Lexi could see Draco looking down, his eyes wide with fear. Looking away from him, she looked at Voldemort and shook her head. "No—no I won't. I'm not going to do any of this. You can't make me."

Voldemort let out a chuckle. "Why yes I can. I can or get someone else to use the Imperius Curse on you, to do so. Or I can kill your parents—"

"You don't know where my parents are." She said right away.

"Why yes, yes I do. I believe they are on their way here as we speak. You see, Lexi, no one can hide from me because I am Lord Voldemort and Lord Voldemort can find anyone."

Fear lurched in Lexi's stomach. Bellatrix or some other Death Eater was probably dragging her parents to the basement at the very moment, or just walking in with them. They were supposed to be in Canada or the US, not in England still!

"Would you want your parents to die, Lexi?" asked Voldemort, with a hint of satisfaction in his cold, high voice.

"N-no." She said, her voice cracking at the end of the word. She bit the inside of her cheek, until she tasted blood. _Don't cry,_ she thought, _They are fine…for now._

Voldemort gave a curt nod. "Then I advise you to do as I say or you and your parents will be punished by your actions. Understood?"

Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath she nodded. "Alright." She said quietly, opening her eyes. "Just don't hurt them. Any of them, including Ollivander."

Voldemort smiled triumphantly at her. "Of course. Now Draco,"—Draco's head snapped up from the ground and looked at Voldemort. "Take Lexi to the guest room. She'll no longer need to live in the basement with Ollivander since she is becoming a Malfoy."

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**(About a few days later)**

"Think!" whispered Hermione. "Where would he have left it?"

"Not at Hogwarts."

"Somewhere in Hogsmeade?"

"The Shrieking Shack? Nobody ever goes in there."

"But Snape knows how to get in. Wouldn't that be a bit risky?"

"Dumbledore trusted Snape," Harry pointed out.

"Not enough to tell him that he had swapped the swords," Hermione pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right!" Harry said, cheered at the idea that Dumbledore had had some reservations regarding Snape. "So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What d'you reckon, Ron? Ron?"

"Oh, remembered me, have you?" Ron asked bitterly, his voice low and foul from where he was standing all alone.

"What?" Harry asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Ron snorted as he stared up at the underside of his bunk. "You two carry on. Don't let me spoil your fun."

Perplexed, Harry looked to Hermione for help, but she shook her head, apparently as confused as he was. "What's the problem?" Harry asked defensively.

"Problem? There's no problem. Not according to you, anyways." He said, looking at them coldly.

The rain on the roof of the tent became louder as it fell down harder. _Plunk, plunk, plunk._ "Well, you've obviously got a problem," Harry said. "So spit it out, will you?"

Ron swung his long legs off of the bed and sat up. He looked mean, unlike himself, and his voice wasn't much better. "All right, I'll spit it out. Don't expect me to skip up and down the tent because there's some other damn thing that we've got to find. Just add it to the list of stuff you don't know."

"I don't know?" repeated Harry. "_I_ don't know?"

"It's not like I'm having the time of my life here," Ron said bitterly. "You know, with my arm mangled and nothing to eat and freezing my arse off every single night. I just hoped, you know, after we'd been running round a few weeks that we'd have achieved something."

"Ron," Hermione said in a voice so quiet that Ron probably didn't hear her at all.

"I thought you knew what you'd signed up for," Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, I thought so, too," Ron said in a similar voice.

"So, what part of it isn't living up to your expectations?" Harry asked, anger coming to his defence now. "Did you think we'd be staying at five-star hotels, finding a Horcrux every other day, or did you think we'd be back to Mummy by Christmas?"

"We thought you knew what you were doing!" shouted Ron, standing up and his words piercing Harry like scalding knives. "We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, we thought you had a real plan!"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, this time clearly audible over the rain thundering on the tent roof, but again, he ignored her.

"I'm sorry to let you down," Harry said, his voice quite calm even though he felt hollow, inadequate. "I've been straight with you from the start. I told you everything that Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven't noticed, we've found one Horcrux -"

"Yeah, and we're about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them - nowhere effing near, in other words!"

"Take off the locket, Ron," Hermione said her, voice unusually high. "Please take it off. You wouldn't be talking like this if you hadn't been wearing it all day."

"Yeah, he would," Harry insisted, not wanting excuses made for Ron. "D'you think I haven't noticed the two of you whispering behind my back? D'you think I didn't guess you were thinking this stuff?"

"Harry, we weren't -"

"Don't lie!" Ron hurled at her. "You said it, too. You said you were disappointed, that you'd thought he had a bit more to go on than -"

"I didn't say it like that—Harry, I didn't!" She cried.

The rain fell harder on the top of the tent. Tears were streaming down Hermione's face. The excitement that was there just a few minutes ago were gone now. A short lived firework, as you might say.

"So why are you still here?" Harry asked Ron.

"Search me." Said Ron, glaring at Harry.

"Go home the."

"Yeah," said Ron. "maybe I will." He took several steps towards Harry, who did not move back. "Didn't you hear what they said about my sister? But you don't give a rat's arse, do you, it's only the Forbidden Forest, Harry _I've-Faced-Worse _Potter doesn't care what happens to her, well, I do, all right, giant spiders and mental stuf—"

"I was only saying—she was with the others, they were with Hagrid—"

"—yeah I get it, you don't care! And what about the rest of my family, "the Weasleys don't need another kid injured", did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I—"

"Not bothered what it meant, though?"

"Ron!" said Hermione, forcing her way in between the two boys. "I don't think it means, anything knew happened, anything we don't know about; think about, will you, Ron. Bill's already scarred, people must have noticed George has lost an ear and you are supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit. I'm sure that's all he meant—"

"Oh, you're sure, are you? Right then, well, I won't bother myself about them. It's alright for you two isn't it, with your parents safely out of the way—"

"My parents are _dead_!" bellowed Harry.

"And mine could be going the same way!" yelled Ron.

"Then GO!" roared Harry. "Go back to them then, pretend you've got your spattergroit and Mummy will feed you up and—"

Ron made a sudden movement: Harry reacted, but before either wand was clear of it's owner's pocket, Hermione had raised her own.

"Protego!" she cried, and an invisible shield expanded between her and Harry and Ron on the other; all of them were forced backwards a few steps by the spells strength. Harry and Ron glared at on another from either side of the transparent barrier as though seeing each other clearly for the first time. Harry felt hatred towards Ron; something had broken between them.

"Leave the Horcrux." Said Harry.

Ron wrenched the chain from over his head and cast the locket into a nearby chair. He turned to Hermione. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you staying, or what?"

"I…" She looked anguished. "Yes-yes, I'm staying, Ron. We said we'd go with Harry, we said that we would help—"

"I get it. You choose him"

"Ron, no—please—come back, come back!" Hermione cried, tears streaming down her face as Ron exited the tent. She was impeded by her own Shield Charm that by the time she had removed it, Ron had stormed into the night. Harry stood quite still and silent, listening to her sobbing and calling Ron's name among the trees.

After a few she returned, her sopping hair plastered to her face.

"He's g—g—gone! Disapparated!"

She threw herself into a chair, curled up and shook with her sobs. Harry felt daze. He stooped, picked up the Horcrux and placed it around his own neck. He dragged the blankets off Ron's bunk and threw them over Hermione. Then he climbed on to his own bed and stared up at the dark canvas roof, listening to the pounding of the rain overhead.

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**A/N: That's it. And remember to review, review, review. **


	15. O'Children

A/N: Alright, so before I get comments saying that Bellatrix's husband is alive and well, I'd just like to say that when I wrote this I wasn't aware of him being alive, so in my story he's dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

and Merry belated Christmas

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Chapter 15: O'Children

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"I'm not wearing that." Said Lexi stubbornly. She sat on her bed, in the guest room, she was dressed in her pajamas as Bellatrix and Narcissa brought in the wedding dress she would be wearing the following night.

"Yes you are." Said Bellatrix. "It's been custom made. Cost a lot of money, too."

Lexi rolled her eyes. "It's horrid." She said nudging her head at the dress. It was white, with long sleeves made of lace, and the bottom part of the dress was shaped like a pastry. "It looks like something one of you would wear and your style in clothing isn't that great."

Narcissa sighed. "I'm going to fetch some tea." She said, she leaned into her sister's ear. "Try and make her wear the dress." She whispered.

Bellatrix nodded. "Of course, Cissy." Narcissa sighed again then left the room. "Now girly, you're wearing this dress tomorrow."

"I said I don't want to. You can't make me."

"Have you forgotten that I could kill your parents who are sitting in the basement, starving to death? If I did that maybe I could make you wear the dress." She snarled.

Biting her lip, Lexi slid off the bed and grabbed the dress from the psychopathic woman. Bellatrix smiled evilly at her. "Good little Lexi. Now go try it on." She said nudging her head to the bathroom door.

"Arse." Lexi muttered under her breath as she closed the door to the bathroom.

When she came out, Narcissa was back placing a tray of tea on the night stand. "You look wonderful." She said turning to Lexi.

Lexi turned to the full length mirror, placed beside the door. The sleeves were a bit too long for her and the bust area was tight. "I look like a pastry." She said bitterly. "And it's tight."

"It looks fine." Said Bellatrix.

"Well maybe that's because you're not wearing this dress or maybe you did," She said turning to Bellatrix. "When you got married yourself. But whatever did happen to your husband?" She asked, smirking.

Bellatrix twitched at the mention of her husband. "Shut up." She said, in a low voice.

Ignoring the comment, Lexi continued. "Did he get himself killed, if he was a Death Eater? Or did Voldemort kill him? Or maybe you killed him, because he was sick and tired of you being a psychotic madman and was about to leave you?"

Fuming, Bellatrix walked up to Lexi who didn't move from her spot. Bellatrix wiped out her wand and yelled "_Crucio_!"

Lexi fell to her to her knees as she bit back a scream. Her eyes were squeezed shut. "Don't ever," She hissed. "Talk about him like that because I swear I will Crucio you until you go mad like the Longbottoms!"

"Bella stop!" said Narcissa.

But she did not. She kept the curse going, as Lexi had hit a nerve. "No!" Bellatrix cried. "You—you heard what she said!_ Crucio_!"

The spell it burned Lexi to the core. Everything in her was on fire, she felt as if her brain was melting, which it probably was. The fire of the spell continued for what seemed to be hours, as Lexi prayed for it to stop. And when it did, she was covered in sweat, panting.

Bellatrix smiled in satisfaction and walked out of the room, leaving Lexi alone with Narcissa. "Bella is rather touchy about people talking about her husband." She said.

"I noticed." Said Lexi, pushing herself off the ground with the little strength she had.

"Come, I'll help you out of the dress." Said Narcissa, helping Lexi off of the floor.

Lexi was in that same dress the next night, Narcissa being kind to Lexi for whatever reason had gotten the dress altered to her liking. She was looking in the mirror again, her hair was put up like how Fleur's was at her own wedding but it looked much better on her than Lexi. Her make-up was not as dramatic as she usually put it but it looked fairy like, done by none other than Narcissa.

"Time to go." said Narcissa as she stood with the door open for her. "I thought I'd be nice to tell you that we took your parents out from the basement for this occasion."

Lexi looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. At least her parents were going to be there even though she was going to be marrying a guy she did not love.

"Alright," She said as she turned away from her reflection. "let's go."

The two blonde girls headed out of the guest room and down the Slytherin like hall. Narcissa stopped her at double staircase, which led to the audience of people, mostly Draco's family, and the priest who stood with Draco who was dressed in a nice black tux.

"Alright, this is how it's going to work," said Narcissa. "You are going to go down the right staircase and your father is going to go down on the other stairs case. You'll meet in the middle, link arms and he'll walk you down the aisle until you get to the front."

Lexi nodded, as she was handed a bouquet of flowers. Narcissa gave her a small smile before descending down the stairs and took her own seat next to Bellatrix and Lucius.

Lexi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She walked to the right staircase where Narcissa had appointed her to go and looked to her left. Her father was standing there, in his own tux; he looked at his daughter and smiled. She gave him a small smile back.

The organ started to play a song that sounded like a death march and Lexi and her father began to walk down the stairs. They met in the middle and linked arms, just as instructed.

"You look beautiful. I always knew you would look beautiful, when you got married. Of course, I thought you would be older, out of school, and marrying someone like Harry, but you look beautiful all the same." He whispered as they began to walk.

Her father led her down a red carpet as people smiled at her that made Lexi sick to her stomach.

Draco was standing at the altar not looking at her. He was dressed in an all black suite, the same thing he wore the night he was about to kill Dumbledore. Lexi pushed that memory aside as she reached the altar.

Her father kissed her cheek and let go of her.

Her heart was broken. Her father was actually letting her go. She could've dropped to her knees right there, but she didn't. Her mother was already crying in a seat at the very front.

Lexi was doing this for her parents. She couldn't let them die.

"I love you." She mouthed to them, and stood silently, looking at the floor as the preacher began to speak.

Lexi didn't listen, she didn't care, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to hear over the roar of her heart in her ears.

She mumbled 'I do' even thought she clearly didn't. And Draco did the same, slipping a diamond ring on her finger.

Her hand felt heavy, along with her heart.

And when Draco's lips touched hers quickly, before pulling back, she felt nothing but sadness, and emptiness.

* * *

(A/N: I just have to add this scene into the story. This was one of my favourite scenes in the movie and I thought it'd be nice to add it in here)

Harry was sitting in a chair, near his bunk; he was looking at Hermione who was reading this gigantic book, one leg pulled lazily to her chest. She had become depressed every since Ron had left them. In the night, when she was probably convinced that Harry was fast asleep he could hear her crying.

When Harry was actually asleep, he had nightmares. They were of Sirius falling through the veil, Cedric getting hit with the killing curse, his mother's screaming as she tried to protect him, Ron leaving, Lexi getting tortured and sometimes there were visions.

The tent was quiet except for the radio which was playing its music quietly. Not knowing, what he was doing, Harry stood up and walked over to Hermione. She looked up from her book, her eyes filled with sadness as she looked up at him.

Harry held out his hand to her, and she looked from him to his hand which was held out for her. Hermione let out a sigh; she stood up and took his hand. Harry slowly put his hands on the chain of the locket and pulled it over her head. Her eyes, Harry could see, were not only filled with sadness but with hurt. Letting out his own sigh, he threw the locket onto her bunk.

Harry took hold of her hands and brought her to the middle of the tent; she stood still as Harry quickly went over and turned up the music. He knew this song, Aunt Petunia used to play it all the time, it was O'Children by Nick Cave.

When Harry rejoined her, he took hold of her hands again and began to move their arms back and forth to the music. Hermione cracked a small smile, as Harry moved her to the music.

_O children__  
__Lift up your voice, lift up your voice__  
__Children__  
__Rejoice, rejoice__…_

Harry twirled Hermione and he swore he heard her laugh a little. Harry smiled as he pulled her close to him again. He knew that little moment right here, this little dance, made both of them feel happier than they had ever felt since they started his expedition.

_Hey little train! We are all jumping on__  
__The train that goes to the Kingdom__  
__We're happy, Ma, we're having fun__  
__And the train ain't even left the station_…

Hermione let out a laugh as Harry let her twirl him this time, then switch. They entwined their fingers from their left hands as they moved around the tent in a circle. Hermione's right hand on Harry's shoulder and Harry's own right hand on her waist.

_Hey, little train! Wait for me!__  
__I once was blind but now__  
__I see have you left a seat for me?__  
__Is that such a stretch of the imagination?_

The two danced, laughing, and smiling. They moved around the middle of the tents, twirling one another, moving around in circles, and other movements. Hermione smiled widely, Harry didn't even remember when she had smiled that big.

_Hey little train! Wait for me!__  
__I was held in chains but now I'm free__  
__I'm hanging in there, don't you see__  
__In this process of elimination_

When they finally slowed down, Hermione held onto Harry's shoulder and rested her chin on it. He could feel her hair tickling the side of his face.

They slowed down more and more, after each beat of the music until they stopped right in the middle of the tent. Harry and Hermione pulled away, their hands still intertwined; they looked into each other's eyes.

Hermione let out a sigh, and let go of Harry's hand. "I'm going outside for guard duty. It's my turn anyways." She said quietly.

Her sadness had returned and it made Harry sad to her that way. She really missed Ron, more than Harry missed him. He stood there, as she walked out of the tent.

* * *

Lexi sat down on the black couch in Draco's room; she had changed out of the dress and into pajammas. Narcissa insisted that since they were now husband and wife that she should be staying in the same room.

"I'm sleeping on the couch." Lexi said, breaking the silence.

"Why?" Draco asked, looking up from his desk which was put up against a window, so he could get a view of the front lawn when he worked.

"Because I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you." She answered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Fine with me." He said then turned back to his desk, he was writing something down. Most likely a letter.

Feeling uncomfortable with the silence, Lexi decided to get to know Draco Malfoy better. "What's that?" She asked, nudging her head to the parchment.

"A letter." He said.

"To whom?"

"Blaise Do you always ask so many questions?" He asked, as he folded the letter in half.

"No, I'm just curious. I thought I'd be nice to get to know you, since we're married now." She answered, resting her head on her right hand, which was propped up on the arm of the couch.

"You already know me."

"I know you as a stupid prick, who enjoys to make fun of the kids in other Houses because of their blood status. I know that you're full of yourself, and that you shut down your pity, enabling you to bully effectively. You've shut down compassion — how else would you become a Death Eater?" She said. "But I know there must be a good side to you."

Draco turned to her. "How would you any of that?" He asked.

Lexi shrugged. "I'm a good guesser but you can see everything your eyes. It's all there."

"Well I know things about you, too. I know that you're impulsive, outspoken, and bitchy. You act as if you don't give a rat's arse about anything people say about you, but you hide you're hurt unless it comes to your precious Potter."

Lexi couldn't help but laugh. "It looks like we have to learn a lot about each other, again." She said.

"I guess so."


	16. Christmas, Christmas, Time is Here

A/N: Hello, my lovely readers. I'm sorry if you had all gotten mixed up on the last chapter but I am glad that you have asked questions.

For one, this is a Harry/Lexi story. There was an explanation on the whole Draco and Lexi getting married thing, such as Draco being the heir and Voldemort suggested that Lexi was the right girl to help him out with being the heir.

I'm very sorry, that you had gotten mixed up.

And sorry for the wait! I have a bunch of homework, that must get done.

* * *

Chapter 16 : Christmas, Christmas, Time is Here

* * *

The doors of Malfoy Manor burst open as Lexi descended down the stairs. Two Death Eaters were holding someone by the arms in between them. That person had long blonde hair, making it a girl, wide silvery eyes, pale skin, and a Butterbeer cork necklace. Only one person would fit that description.

_Luna Lovegood._

Lexi ran down the rest of the stairs, trying not to trip over her feet in the process. She made it in front of the two Death Eaters just before they passed the stair case. "Luna!" She yelled, as the three halted in front of her. "Let her go! Why do you have her? What did she do?" She asked frantically.

"Her father hasn't been very nice to us and has been supporting your little boyfriend." Said a voice behind her. "So we had to get back at him."

Lexi turned around; she was facing Bellatrix yet again. Her lips were curled into a wicked smile, as she held her wand in her right hand. "Let her go!" Lexi repeated as she turned back to Luna. She lunged at the Death Eater on the right, trying to pry his hands off Luna's arm.

"Why, Lexi." Said Luna in her dreamy tone. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Lexi shook her head, as she hit the Death Eaters arm with her fists now. She switched to the other Death Eater, trying to pry his hands off Luna as she did to the other one.

"Now, now, Lexi." Said Bellatrix, as her boots clacked against the floor. "You must behave yourself and let these nice people take Ms Lovegood down to the basement."

Lexi turned to Bellatrix, her fingers not leaving the Death Eaters arm. "Like Hell!" She exclaimed, turning back to Luna again.

Bellatrix let out a _tsk_ as she grabbed Lexi by the arms and dragged her back. Lexi struggled against the woman but it was no use, she was much stronger seeing as Lexi hadn't eaten in a while (she was being stubborn, refusing to take anything the Malfoys offered her).

"Let me go! Let Luna go!" She screamed as Bellatrix pulled her away from Luna.

"Take Ms Lovegood down to the basement." Bellatrix commanded the Death Eaters as Lexi struggled against her.

The two Death Eaters obeyed and they took Luna, who did not fight back, down the hall. "NO!" Lexi screamed. "LUNA!"

"Shut up." Bellatrix hissed, once Luna and the two Death Eaters were out of sight. "You'll wake the dead."

But Lexi did not listen; she needed to get to Luna. Luna was yet another addition to the other who were starving down there.

"Bring her back and let her go! Let my parents go! Let Ollivander go!" She screamed, as she finally broke free of Bellatrix's grasp.

Anger flashed through Bellatrix's face but she didn't raise her wand. She instead raised her hand and smacked Lexi across the face.

Lexi held her cheek, where she was struck. "I told you to shut up." Said Bellatrix. "Now go back upstairs, where you belong in this house."

She glared at Bellatrix, as she held her face. It burned. She did as Bellatrix had told her, not wanting to be in spitting distance of the woman any longer. _Stupid Prick._

* * *

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" She was curled up in one of the sagging armchairs _with The Tales of Beedle the Bard._ Harry could not imagine how much more she could get out of the book, which was not, after all, very long but evidently she was still deciphering something in it, because _Spellman's Syllabary_ lay open on the arm of the chair.

Harry cleared his throat. He felt exactly as he had done on the occasion, several years previously, when he had asked Professor McGonagall whether he could go into Hogsmeade, despite the fact that he had not persuaded the Dursley's to sign his permission slip.

"Hermione, I've been thinking, and –"

"Harry, could you help me with something?"

Apparently she had not been listening to him. She leaned forward and held out _The Tales of Beedle the Bard. _

"Look at that symbol," she said, pointing to the top of a page. Above what Harry assumed was the title of the story (being unable to read runes, he could not be sure), there was a picture of what looked like a triangular eye, its pupil crossed with a vertical line.

"I never took Ancient Runes, Hermione."

"I know that; but it isn't a rune and it's not in the syllabary, either. All along I thought it was a picture of an eye, but I don't think it is! It's been inked in, look, somebody's drawn it there, it isn't really part of the book. Think, have you ever seen it before?"

"No . . . No, wait a moment." Harry looked closer. "Isn't it the same symbol Luna's dad was wearing round his neck?"

"Well, that's what I thought too!"

"Then it's Grindelwald's mark."

She stared at him, open-mouthed. _"What?" _

"Krum told me . . ." He recounted the story that Viktor Krum had told him at the wedding. Hermione looked astonished.

"_Grindelwald's mark?"_ She looked from Harry to the weird symbol and back again. "I've never heard that Grindelwald had a mark. There's no mention of it in anything I've ever read about him."

"Well, like I say, Krum reckoned that symbol was carved on a wall at Durmstrang, and Grindelwald put it there."

She fell back into the old armchair, frowning.

"That's very odd. If it's a symbol of Dark Magic, what's it doing in a book of children's stories?"

"Yeah, it is weird," said Harry. "And you'd think Scrimgeour would have recognized it. He was Minister; he ought to have been expert on Dark stuff."

"I know. . . . Perhaps he thought it was an eye, just like I did. All the other stories have little pictures over the titles."

She did not speak, but continued to pore over the strange mark. Harry tried again.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?"

"I've been thinking. I – I want to go to Godric's Hollow."

She looked up at him, but her eyes were unfocused, and he was sure she was still thinking about the mysterious mark on the book. "Yes," she said. "Yes, I've been wondering that too. I really think we'll have to."

"Did you hear me right?" he asked.

"Of course I did. You want to go to Godric's Hollow. I agree. I think we should. I mean, I can't think of anywhere else it could be either. It'll be dangerous, but the more I think about it, the more likely it seems it's there."

"Er – what's there?" asked Harry.

At that, she looked just as bewildered as he felt. "Well, the sword, Harry! Dumbledore must have known you'd want to go back there, and I mean, Godric's Hollow is Godric Gryffindor's birthplace –"

"Really? Gryffindor came from Godric's Hollow?"

"Harry, did you ever even open A History of Magic?"

"Erm," he said, smiling for what felt like the first time in months: The muscles in his face felt oddly stiff. "I might've opened it, you know, when I bought it . . . just the once. . . ."

"Well, as the village is named after him I'd have thought you might have made the connection," said Hermione. She sounded much more like her old self than she had done of late; Harry half expected her to announce that she was off to the library. "There's a bit about the village in A History of Magic, wait..."

She opened the beaded bag and rummaged for a while, finally extracting her copy of their old school textbook, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, which she thumbed through until finding the page she wanted.

Hermione read the paragraph from the textbook, her finger following the words as she said them.

"You and your parents aren't mentioned." Hermione said, closing the book as she finished reciting the book, "Because Professor Bagshot doesn't cover anything later than the end of the nineteenth century. But you see? Godric's Hollow, Godric Gryffindor, Gryffindor's sword; don't you think Dumbledore would have expected you to make the connection?"

"Oh yeah . . ." Harry did not want to admit that he had not been thinking about the sword at all when he suggested they go to Godric's Hollow. For him, the lore of the village lay in his parents' graves, the house where he had narrowly escaped death, and in the person of Bathilda Bagshot.

"Remember what Muriel said?" he asked eventually.

"Who?"

"You know," he hesitated. He did not want to say Ron's name. "Ginny's great aunt. At the wedding. The one who said you had skinny ankles."

"Oh," said Hermione. It was a sticky moment: Harry knew that she had sensed Ron's name in the offing. He rushed on:

"She said Bathilda Bagshot still lived in Godric's Hollow."

"Bathilda Bagshot," murmured Hermione, running her index finger over Bathilda's embossed name on the front cover of A History of Magic. "Well, I suppose –"

She gasped so dramatically that Harry's insides turned over; he drew his wand, looking around at the entrance, half expecting to see a hand forcing its way through the entrance flap, but there was nothing there.

"What?" he said, half angry, half relieved. "What did you do that for? I thought you'd seen a Death Eater unzipping the tent, at least –"

"Harry, what if Bathilda's got the sword? What if Dumbledore entrusted it to her?"

Harry considered this possibility. Bathilda would be an extremely old woman by now, and according to Muriel, she was "gaga." Was it likely that Dumbledore would have hidden the sword of Gryffindor with her? If so, Harry felt that Dumbledore had left a great deal to chance: Dumbledore had never revealed that he had replaced the sword with a fake, nor had he so much as mentioned a friendship with Bathilda. Now, however, was not the moment to cast doubt on Hermione's theory, not when she was so surprisingly willing to fall in with Harry's dearest wish.

"Yeah, he might have done! So, are we going to go to Godric's Hollow?"

* * *

Lexi woke up on the couch. Even though the bed was big enough for the two of them, she was never going to be sleeping in the same bed as Draco Malfoy. Over the course of the week, Draco and Lexi had gotten to know each other a bit better, though he was still a prick.

She looked over to the bed, to see Draco sleeping, his white-blonde hair a mess and he was covered in the blanket up to his neck. Lexi threw the little blanket off her as she slid off of the couch. She walked into the bathroom, to wash up.

She looked paler, and her eyes seemed darker against her pale skin. She turned her face to the side, where she had been struck when Luna had been brought in, it was no longer red, marked with Bellatrix's hand but still slightly pink.

Lexi had to admit, living in Malfoy Manor now wasn't the greatest. Death Eaters running around on one level, for meetings, or whatever else they were assigned to do, and Voldemort had gone off to do some of his own there was also that her mind was constantly worrying about her parents, who she hadn't seen since the wedding and Harry, Hermione, and Ron who were still out there, somewhere.

But to top all the things she was feeling in her mind, her body ached. Yesterday, she had ticked Bellatrix off once again (she had been doing that a lot) and Bellatrix used the Cruciatus Curse on her yet again. She had even forgotten why she had ticked Bellatrix off.

"_Draco, Lexi, wake up!"_ Narcissa's voice called as she knocked on the door.

Lexi could not fathom it but Narcissa was the only one who was actually nice to Lexi.

"Coming!" Draco's voice called back to his mother.

Lexi peeked through the crack in the door, to see the blonde boy, rubbing his tired eyes, his Dark Mark visible as his sleeves were rolled up. "Lexi?" He said, as he looked around the room.

With a sigh, Lexi pushed the rest of the door open and walked out. "I'm here." She said. "Let's get going to breakfast so we can all eat in awkward silence...again." She said, as she opened the door.

Lexi and Draco walked down the hall and into the dining room where a few House Elves were holding plates filled with food on them and placing them in front of the Narcissa and Lucius who were seated on a black wooden table, like the one Voldemort has for his meetings. Lexi ran her fingers through her hair as she took a seat next to in between Narcissa and Draco. Soon a House Elf that soon brought the two young wizards their breakfast, which was a cheese omelette, bacon, and pumpkin juice.

"Today is Christmas Eve." Said Narcissa.

"Yes, and?" said Lexi, as she turned the strip of bacon around in her fingers.

"We are having a ball tonight." She said.

Lexi mentally groaned at that, but nodded anyway.

When they finished breakfast, Lexi got up and immediately left to go back to the room. She hated staying anywhere but Draco's room, because everywhere else was so unfamiliar and dark to her.

She walked back over to the couch, and sat down at the end of it. She brought her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin in the middle.

* * *

The rest of the day was a blur, and before she knew it Lexi, she was changing into her ball gown for the ball. She was dressed in a black ball gown that looked lovely on her, her hair was down with soft curls, and her make-up wasn't as heavy as she usually has it.

"You look pretty." Said Draco from behind her.

Lexi turned around and blushed. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." She said as she looked at his black and white suit.

"Hey, Lexi, I was wondering if you could help me with something." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lexi gasped. "Draco Malfoy is asking me for help. I never thought I'd live to see the day." She said, smiling.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. Well, anyways, Pansy is coming over and I was wondering if you could help me get rid of her with the whole we're married thing now."

Lexi thought for a moment. "Sure, why not. Always hated that little bitch anyways."

Someone knocked on the door and Narcissa walked in with a green dress on. "Ready?" She asked. Draco and Lexi nodded.

Lexi took hold of Draco's hand, for the act, and walked down to the ballroom in the Manor. The room was filled with people, and some Slytherins from Hogwarts.

"Hi Draco!" Pansy said as soon as Lexi and Draco had walked in. She was dressed in a short black dress, and her hair was put into soft curls. She was holding a glass of Fire Whiskey, she guessed. She looked down disapprovingly at their hands. "What's going on?" She asked.

Lexi looked up at Draco with a sly smile; they were both thinking the same thing, play it up just a little. "I'm sorry, Pansy, I'm married." Draco said grabbing Lexi lovingly by the waist, Lexi tried not to laugh.

"B-but, I waited for you. Draco, I always loved you, she didn't." Pansy said, tears filling her pathetic eyes.

"Things change, Pansy. I found love, I'm sorry." Draco said, walking with Lexi away from Pansy, who was now, breathing heavily, and on the verge of tears.

Lexi laughed at the sight of her. "OK, that was hilarious. Now with a little Firewhiskey in me, maybe I can pretend I actually _want_ to be here." She said.

Draco shook his head. "I won't let you get drunk. In fact, I'm taking you upstairs after 10, so we don't get caught in the middle of a drunken conversation."

"You're no fun." She said.

Just then Crabbe and Goyle walked over with drinks in their hands. "Hey, Draco." They said in unison. Their eyes fell on Lexi, who still hand Draco's arm around her waist.

"What going on?" Crabbe asked, furrowing his brow.

Draco dropped his arm from Lexi's waist and she sighed. "That question is going to get old, real soon."

"We got married." Draco told them.

The two Slytherin boys looked at each other, brows furrowed not sure if they had heard their friend correctly. They turned to face Lexi and Draco again. "Married?" repeated Goyle.

"Married." Lexi said, the word feeling wrong coming out of her mouth. Well, it wasn't the word that felt wrong but knowing she was married to Draco.

Draco cleared his throat as his friends were looking at each other with their brow furrowed again. "It was forced. Also anything new happen at Hogwarts he asked?"

The two nodded. "Loads." Said Crabbe. "Obviously, Snape is our new Headmaster—much better than Dumbledore." –Lexi tried hard not to glare at him—"We have two new teachers, the Carrows. Amycus teaches the Dark Arts and Alecto teaches us Muggle Studies."

Lexi furrowed her brow at this. She had never thought that with Hogwarts being under the control of Death Eaters that they would still have Muggle Studies. She was about to open her mouth and ask what they actually learned in Muggle Studies when Goyle opened his mouth and asked:

"If they forced you two into marriage, can they force you into shagging her too, Draco?"

Lexi suppressed a groan. "We are trying to put that off as long as heavenly possible." Lexi muttered.

Crabbed smirked. "I don't know if Draco wants to hold it off that much longer, you're hot." He said and Lexi turned pink.

"Thanks." She said in a sarcastic tone with a roll of her eyes.

"You know, Crabbe if Potter were here he'd have punched you or something for hitting on his girl." Draco said with a small chuckle.

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about her and Potter." Goyle said. Crabbe chuckled.

Lexi rolled her eyes. She honestly didn't see how Draco like these two as friends, they were idiots too her. "Who else from Hogwarts is here?" She asked.

"Blaise is. We just saw him and Daphne Greengrass wouldn't go near her though. She's best friends with Parkinson and she'd probably told her what happened by now." said Goyle.

Draco nodded his head. "Blaise is here? I haven't seen him in awhile"

"He's someone, probably flirting with a girl to young and naive, or a girl to old, but hot." Goyle said with a nod.

Lexi wanted to get away from Crabbe and Goyle, they were complete blokes. What she really wanted to do was go down to the basement and talk with her probably starving parents. She'd even like to have a chat with Ollivander and Luna.

"Boys are nasty." Lexi was all she could say, with a twitch of her nose.

Draco laughed, and pulled Lexi with him. "Come with me." He muttered and pulled her through the crowd. There were several people who congratulated the two, and apologized for not being able to make it to their wedding. Many people who wanted to talk to Draco, or see what the newest member of the Malfoy family was like.

They finally reached Blaise, who was, as Goyle predicted, talking to a girl who was way too old for him. When he saw his friend, he left the girl with a nod, and walked swiftly over to them.

"Draco, good to see you mate." He said, as they shook hands, then he turned to Lexi. "So, you're the newest member to the Malfoy's. I take pity on you, darling. I've heard a lot about you. Crabbe and Goyle found me before you two did." Blaise said, answering their unspoken question.

She looked at Blaise curiously. "What have you heard about me?" Lexi asked.

Blaise smiled at this."That you think boys are nasty."

"Most boys, yes."

"Who are the exceptions?" Blaise asked, tilting his head as a curious child would when it first spots something new.

"I won't tell you, because if I did your nose would turn up in disgust and I would have to hit you." She answered with a smirk.

"She's a keeper." Blaise chuckled to Draco.

* * *

"Harry, come back a moment."

He did not want to be sidetracked again, and only grudgingly made his way back through the snow toward her. "What?"

"Look at this!"

The grave was extremely old, weathered so that Harry could hardly make out the name. Hermione showed him the symbol beneath it. "Harry, that's the mark in the book!"

He peered at the place she indicated: The stone was so worn that it was hard to make out what was engraved there, though there did seem to be a triangular mark beneath the nearly illegible name. "Yeah . . . it could be. . . ."

Hermione lit her wand and pointed it at the name on the headstone. "It says Ig – Ignotus, I think. . . ."

"I'm going to keep looking for my parents, all right?" Harry told her, a slight edge to his voice, and he set off again, leaving her crouched beside the old grave.

Every now and then he recognized a surname that, like Abbott, he had met at Hogwarts. Sometimes there were several generations of the same Wizarding family represented in the graveyard: Harry could tell from the dates that it had either died out, or the current members had moved away from Godric's Hollow. Deeper and deeper amongst the graves he went, and every time he reached a new headstone he felt a little lurch of apprehension and anticipation.

The darkness and the silence seemed to become, all of a sudden, much deeper. Harry looked around, worried, thinking of Dementors, then realized that the carols had finished, that the chatter and flurry of churchgoers were fading away as they made their way back into the square. Somebody inside the church had just turned off the lights.

Then Hermione's voice came out of the blackness for the third time, sharp and clear from a few yards away.

"Harry, they're here . . . right here."

And he knew by her tone that it was his mother and father this time: He moved toward her, feeling as if something heavy were pressing on his chest, the same sensation he had had right after Dumbledore had died, a grief that had actually weighed on his heart and lungs.

The headstone was only two rows behind Kendra and Ariana's. It was made of white marble, just like Dumbledore's tomb, and this made it easy to read, as it seemed to shine in the dark. Harry did not need to kneel or even approach very close to it to make out the words engraved upon it.

_JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER_

_BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960_

_DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981_

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._

Harry read the words slowly, as though he would have only one chance to take in their meaning, and he read the last of them aloud.

"'The last enemy that shall be defeated is death' . . ." A horrible thought came to him, and with a kind of panic. "Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?"

"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry," said Hermione, her voice gentle. "It means . . . you know . . . living beyond death. Living after death."

But they were not living, thought Harry. They were gone. The empty words could not disguise the fact that his parents' moldering remains lay beneath snow and stone, indifferent, unknowing. And tears came before he could stop them, boiling hot then instantly freezing on his face, and what was the point in wiping them off or pretending?

He let them fall, his lips pressed hard together, looking down at the thick snow hiding from his eyes the place where the last of Lily and James lay, bones now, surely, or dust, not knowing or caring that their living son stood so near, his heart still beating, alive because of their sacrifice and close to wishing, at this moment, that he was sleeping under the snow with them.

Hermione had taken his hand again and was gripping it tightly. He could not look at her, but returned the pressure, now taking deep, sharp gulps of the night air, trying to steady himself, trying to regain control. He should have brought something o give them, and he had not thought of it, and every plant in the graveyard was leafless and frozen. But Hermione raised her wand, moved it in a circle through the air, and a wreath of Christmas roses blossomed before them. Harry caught it and laid it on his parents' grave.


	17. The Serpent in Disguise

Chapter 17: The Serpent in Disguise

* * *

Bathilda smelled bad, or perhaps it was her house; Hermione wrinkled her nose as they sidled past her and pulled off the Cloak. Hermione was a couple of steps behind Harry, who was standing beside Bathilda. With Harry standing beside her, she realized how tiny she was; bowed down with age, she came barely level with his chest. She closed the door behind them, her knuckles blue and mottled against the peeling paint, then turned and peered into Harry's face. Her eyes were thick with cataracts and sunken into folds of transparent skin, and her whole face was dotted with broken veins and liver spots.

The odor of old age, of dust, of unwashed clothes and stale food intensified as the unwound a moth-eaten black shawl, revealing a head of scant white hair through which the scalp showed clearly.

"Bathilda?" Harry asked, as Hermione came to a stop beside him.

Bathilda shuffled past them, pushing Hermione aside as though she had not seen her, and vanished into what seemed to be a sitting room.

"Harry, I'm not sure about this," breathed Hermione.

"Look at the size of her, I think we could overpower her if we had to," said Harry. "Listen, I should have told you, I knew she wasn't all there. Muriel called her 'gaga.'"

"Come!" called Bathilda from the next room.

Hermione jumped and clutched Harry's arm.

"It's okay," said Harry reassuringly, and he led the way into the sitting room.

Bathilda was tottering around the place lighting candles, but it was still very dark, not to mention extremely dirty. Thick dust crunched beneath their feet, and Hermione's nose detected, underneath the dank and mildewed smell, something worse, like meat gone bad. She seemed to have forgotten that she could do magic, too, for she lit the candles clumsily by hand, her trailing lace cuff in constant danger of catching fire.

Hermione let go of Harry's arm and walked over to an old red chair, with a small table next to it with _Daily Prophets_ stacked high on it. Her fingers lightly moved across the dusty newspaper, she was curious on what was happening to the world that they had abandoned.

She picked up the first _Prophet_ that was folded in half and let it unfold itself. She read the headlines, which were all about Muggles murders, more disappearances, another exclusive from Rita Skeeter's new book on Dumbledore, and one more thing in the corner of the front page. Hermione had to squint her eyes to read the small article.

When finished reading, a gasp escaped her lips causing Harry to turn from Bathilda to her. "What's wrong, Hermione?" He asked her.

Hesitantly, Hermione held out the paper to him.

Harry looked at her with a confused look as he took the paper from her. "The article on the bottom left corner." She said quietly.

She watched Harry as his eyes from left to right, his brow knitted together as he tried to read in the dim light. When he finished reading the article for himself, his brow went back to normal and he looked up at her with a look of anger and hurt. "She married him." He said quietly. "Lexi _married _Malfoy..."

Hermione opened her mouth but Harry—probably not on purpose—dropped the newspaper and it landed onto the dusty floor as he turned to Bathilda who was still trying to light candles. "Here let me do that." He offered and took the matches from the old woman's hands.

Bathilda and Hermione stood there watching him, on either side of the red chair as Harry finished up the candles. He was looking at the pictures that were placed on the shelf of the fire place, then he picked on up.

"Mrs. - Miss - Bagshot?" he said, and his voice shook slightly. "Who is this?"

Yet Bathilda said nothing. All she did was stare at Harry, which sent shivers down Hermione's spin. Bathilda gave Hermione this bad vibe.

"Miss Bagshot?" Harry repeated, and he advanced with the picture in his hands. "Who is this person?" Harry asked her, pushing the picture forward.

She peered at it solemnly, then up at Harry.

"Do you know who this is?" he repeated in a much slower and louder voice than usual. "This man? Do you know him? What's he called?"

Bathilda merely looked vague. Hermione could see in his emerald green eyes he was getting frustrated with her. "Who is this man?" he repeated loudly.

"Harry, what are you doing?" asked Hermione as she took a step forward.

"This picture. Hermione, it's the thief, the thief who stole from Gregorovitch! Please!" he said to Bathilda. "Who is this?"

But she only stared at him.

"Why did you ask us to come with you, Mrs. - Miss - Bagshot?" asked Hermione, raising her own voice now. "Was there something you wanted to tell us?"

Giving no sign that she had heard Hermione, Bathilda now shuffled a few steps closer to Harry. With a little jerk of her head she looked back into the hall.

"You want us to leave?" He asked. She repeated the gesture, this time pointing firstly at him, then at herself, then at the ceiling.

Harry nodded his head now, understanding the old woman now."Oh, right... Hermione, I think she wants me to go upstairs with her."

"All right," said Hermione, "let's go."

But when Hermione moved, Bathilda shook her head with surprising vigour, once more pointing first at Harry, then to herself.

"She wants me to go with her, alone."

"Why?" asked Hermione, and her voice rang out sharp and clear in the candlelit room, the old lady shook her head a little at the loud noise.

"Maybe Dumbledore told her to give the sword to me, and only to me?"

"Do you really think she knows who you are?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yes," said Harry, looking down into the milky eyes fixed upon his own. "I think she does."

With a sigh she said, "Well, okay then, but be quick, Harry."

"Lead the way," Harry told Bathilda.

Hermione watched as Bathilda and Harry disappeared down the entrance hall then up the stairs, their footsteps making the steps creak. She didn't like Bathilda; she was so mysterious and gave Hermione this creepy feeling.

When the footsteps stopped Hermione sighed and looked down at the _Daily Prophet_ that lay on the ground with that title of that little article, catching her eye.

_THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE MALFOY FAMILY, LEXI MOORE._

* * *

"You are Potter?" she whispered. "Yes, I am."

She nodded slowly, solemnly. Harry felt the Horcrux beating fast, faster than his own heart; It was an unpleasant, agitating sensation.

"Have you got anything for me?" Harry asked, but she seemed distracted by his lit wandtip.

"Have you got anything for me?" he repeated.

Then she closed her eyes and several things happened at once: Harry's scar prickled painfully; the Horcrux twitched so that the front of his sweater actually moved; the dark, fetid room dissolved momentarily. He felt a leap of joy and spoke in a high, cold voice:

_Hold him! _

Harry swayed where he stood: The dark, foul-smelling room seemed to close around him again; he did not know what had just happened.

"Have you got anything for me?" he asked for a third time, much louder.

"Over here," she whispered, pointing to the corner. Harry raised his wand and saw the outline of a cluttered dressing table beneath the curtained window.

This time she did not lead him. Harry edged between her and the unmade bed, his wand raised. He did not want to look away from her.

"What is it?" he asked as he reached the dressing table, which was heaped high with what looked and smelled like dirty laundry.

"There," she said, pointing at the shapeless mass.

And in the instant that he looked away, his eyes taking the tangled mess for a sword hilt, a ruby, she moved weirdly: He saw it out of the corner of his eye; panic made him turn and horror paralyzed him as he saw the old body collapsing and the great snake pouring from the place where her neck had been.

* * *

Hermione was reading another _Daily Prophet_ with the light of her wand when she heard a loud _thump_ from up above her. Her head shot up to the ceiling, as she put down the _Prophet._

Her heart beat began to speed up as she heard another _thump_. She raised her wand as she began to walk down the entrance hall to the old, dusty stairs. "Harry?" She called from the bottom of the stairs, her right foot resting on the first step and her wand still lit.

There was no answer.

Worried for Harry she began to climb the stairs; she knew something bad was happening to him. Bathilda was doing something, she had a gut feeling that she was.

Halfway up the stairs, Hermione heard Harry gasped out "No!"

Eyes widening, Hermione ran up the rest of the stairs as she heard the sound of hissing and Harry letting out another gasp.

The sound of Harry and the hissing was coming from a room not too far from her. Hermione ran to the room but to only trip on something near the door of the room. There was a short pain as she looked down to see what she tripped on. Bathilda's clothes.

Hermione scrambled to her feet as she walked into the room where Harry was, wand ready. She let out a gasp of shock as she saw Voldemort's snake—Nagini—wrapped around Harry. Harry's eyes were opening and closing.

Then the snake was unwrapping itself from Harry and it turned to her. Hermione's eyes widened in fear as the snake looked into her eyes, hissing. Harry was scrambling to his feet as Hermione cried out a spell.

Though just as she said the spell, the snake struck out at her.

A scream escaped her lips as she dived aside dodging the snake. She landed on the ground, on her stomach, her wand a foot away from her.

* * *

Frozen air filled the room as Harry ducked to avoid another shower of broken glass and his foot slipped on a pencil-like something - his wand -

He bent and snatched it up, but now the room was full of the snake, its tail thrashing; Hermione was nowhere to be seen and for a moment Harry thought the worst, but then there was a loud bang and a flash of red light, and the snake flew into the air, smacking Harry hard in the face as it went, coil after heavy coil rising up to the ceiling. Harry raised his wand, but as he did so, his scar seared more painfully, more powerfully than it had done in years.

"He's coming! Hermione, he's coming!"

As he yelled the snake fell, hissing wildly. Everything was chaos: It smashed shelves from the wall, and splintered china flew everywhere as Harry jumped over the bed and seized the dark shape he knew to be Hermione -

She shrieked with pain as he pulled her back across the bed: The snake reared again, but Harry knew that worse than the snake was coming, was perhaps already at the gate, his head was going to split open with the pain from his scar -

The snake lunged as he took a running leap, dragging Hermione with him; as it struck, Hermione screamed, "Confringo!" and her spell flew around the room, exploding the wardrobe mirror and ricocheting back at them, bouncing from floor to ceiling; Harry felt the heat of it sear the back of his hand. Glass cut his cheek as, pulling Hermione with him, he leapt from bed to broken dressing table and then straight out of the smashed window into nothingness, her scream reverberating through the night as they twisted in midair...

* * *

(A/N: This part takes place right after Harry sees what actually happened the night his parents died. Just in case some get confused)

"No... I dropped it... I dropped it ..."

"Harry, it's okay, wake up, wake up!"

He was Harry... Harry, not Voldemort ... and the thing that was rustling was not a snake ... He opened his eyes.

"Harry," Hermione whispered. "Do you feel all - all right?"

"Yes," he lied.

He was in the tent, lying on one of the lower bunks beneath a heap of blankets. He could tell that it was almost dawn by the stillness and quality of the cold, flat light beyond the canvas ceiling. He was drenched in sweat; he could feel it on the sheets and blankets.

"We got away."

Hermione then began talking about how she managed to get them away, and how he had been quite ill. How it was almost morning and he was screaming and moaning in his sleep. Harry noticed there were purple shadows under her brown eyes and he noticed a small sponge in her hand: She had been wiping his face.

"I couldn't get the Horcrux off you," Hermione said, and he knew she wanted to change the subject. "It was stuck, stuck to your chest. You've got a mark; I'm sorry, I had to use a Severing Charm to get it away. The snake hit you too, but I've cleaned the wound and put some dittany on it ..."

He pulled the sweaty T-shirt he was wearing away from himself and looked down. There was a scarlet oval over his heart where the locket had burned him. He could also see the half healed puncture marks to his forearm.

"Where've you put the Horcrux?"

"In my bag. I think we should keep it off for a while."

He lay back on his pillows and looked into her pinched gray face.

Hermione and Harry then began to talk about everything that had happened. About how Bathilda was really Nagini in disguise and was there trying to keep him there not kill him. Harry had also learned that his wand had broke when one of Hermione's curses deflected.

His holly and phoenix wand was nearly severed in two. One fragile strand of phoenix feather kept both pieces hanging together. The wood had splintered apart completely. Harry took it into his hands as though it was a living thing that had suffered a terrible injury. He could not think properly: Everything was a blur of panic and fear.

"Mend it. Please."

"Harry, I don't think, when it's broken like this -"

"Please, Hermione, try!"

"R-Reparo."

The dangling half of the wand resealed itself. Harry held it up.

"Lumos!"

The wand sparked feebly, then went out. Harry pointed it at Hermione.

"Expelliarmus!"

Hermione's wand gave a little jerk, but did not leave her hand. The feeble attempt at magic was too much for Harry's wand, which split into two again. He stared at it, aghast, unable to take in what he was seeing ... the wand that had survived so much ...

Harry let out a defeated sigh. Then soon, another memory—something he didn't want to think about—came into his mind. Lexi being married to Malfoy. The thought of Lexi with that git made Harry's heart drop into the pit of his stomach.

"Harry..." said Hermione in a quiet voice. "What's wrong?"

"She's married to him, Hermione." He said in the same quiet voice as her. He could feel both his anger boiling up inside of him and his hurt piercing his heart.

"Harry it was most likely against her will. She would have never married Malfoy, she hates him. " She said, awkwardly putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't know that, Hermione!" He snapped, and she jumped a bit. "What if she willingly left us at the Ministry, what if she just led me on, what if-" His anger was beginning to get the best of him.

"Harry! Harry hush, she loves you." Hermione said.

"Well then why is she married to Malfoy!" He said standing up.

"Harry!" Hermione said, her voice, for once, louder than Harry. "Take a nap or something to calm yourself." She insisted.

"No." Harry said stubbornly.

"Harry, listen to me, alright. Calm your breathing and listen. She doesn't love anyone but _you_, all these fears are just what you are scared of, you don't want it to be the truth, so you pretend it is, because you are scared, it's what you think happened, you expect the worst. Or are you just to afraid to admit that she might be unhappy? Harry, if you calm yourself we can finish this mission, and get to Lexi faster, and make her happy again. Now I want you to shut up, and go to sleep."

Harry shook his head. "No, I'll keep watch. You've been up for hours, you need rest Hermione." He told her. "Just give me your wand, just in case." Harry held out his hand.

"But-"

"Hermione. Your wand, please." He said.

With a sigh, Hermione took out her wand and placed it in his hand. Harry's hand closed around it as he stood up. He didn't say another word to Hermione as he walked out of the tent.

* * *

A/N: I'd like to thank mrs0cullen for helping me out with this story. She is a wonderful writer, and I love having her to help me write this story. It would mean a lot if you guys could check out some of her stories for me and for her.


	18. Apology Not a Chapter

Hey guys, I'm really sorry I haven't updated this story in the longest time.

I had gotten writers block, and we actually had to re-write Bursting at the Seams. I'm really sorry to the people who enjoy the story that have waited a long time for a new chapter. And sorry if you thought this was a new one.

Honestly, I meant for this to be finished before Deathly Hallows Pt.2 came out but it looks like that's not happening. I'm almost done re-writing and once I'm done I will begin posting again.


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